An Accidental Princess
by FireflyEmbers
Summary: Toby's just your normal, run of the mill social outcast until the day the school bully crowns her a princess... and a dragon shows up on her back porch! Fairy godmothers in training, trolls, overcompensating fairies... What's an accidental princess to do?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: This story is completely original. All characters, settings, and events are spawned from my own mixed up little mind and may not be used, copied, or adapted without my express written permission. Do not steal my story!!!

**1.**

It was lunchtime when they finally cornered her. She'd been dodging them and their mean smiles all morning, ever since overhearing their "plan" on the morning bus.

_You could do with some lessons in subtlety, _she thought like a dagger at their backs, then ducked through the band room, dodging clarinets and tubas on her way to home room.

A clever array of after-class discussions with her teachers and the exploitation of some lesser known routes around the school had kept her safe throughout the morning periods. Friday lunch, however, meant chocolate milk and spaghetti, both of which she loathed missing.

So they caught her paying for her meal, descending upon her and surrounding her like a pack of vultures. Not a bad allusion, she thought at the sight of their eyes, glinting hungrily.

"_Tobias_," Julie said, linking arms with Toby. Toby hated it when they said her name like that. It made it sound so.. filthy.

"Toby, we have a gift for you," Jenny chimed in, tossing her hairspray laden black hair over her shoulder. Toby dug her heels in, but they had both of her elbows and she was trying to balance her tray of food. They steered her into the main cafeteria. Students were already snickering and staring, and Toby felt her cheeks flush in embarrassment and anger.

"We've been thinking, Toby. You were so helpful in our discussions about Homecoming, that we thought we'd give you a… special coronation." Toby's hands were clammy but she stared, resolutely, at her spaghetti. She knew what they were talking about; two weeks ago they'd discussed Homecoming decorations. Toby had, in one of her rare displays of vocal ability, pointed out that their proposal violated every major fire code in the district. They'd had to start all over.

Toby thought once again, irritated, how silly it was of her to have spoken up.

"Let me go," she mumbled.

"She speaks!" Julie stepped back dramatically, fluttering her mascara-thick eye lashes. She was a ghastly actress. "Her royal highness speaks!" Toby just stared at her plate, hands white-knuckled around her tray.

"Everyone! Everyone, listen up!" Jenny called, though uselessly. Everyone was already paying attention. "We've decided to make Tobias here a regular princess. Don't you think she's just _perfectly_ royal?" The sneer in Jenny's voice was made only worse by the sickly sweet smile on her lips. Some of the kids twittered nervously, some less so than others.

Julie released Toby's arm, grabbing the straw from Toby's tray and wielding it like a royal scepter. "Tobias Dethewright," she intoned, her voice pushing the limits of snooty. "In front of this … _royal court_, I, Julie Henderson, do crown you.. princess of the garbage heap!"

There was mocking applause and Toby wished the floor would just open up and swallow her forever.

"Jules," Jenny chided. "You forgot her _crown_." And then she picked up Toby's plate of spaghetti, overturning it on the brunette's head. It made a disgusting squelching noise as she smushed it into Toby's hair, then tossed the empty plate back on the other girl's tray. Toby felt hot sauce leak through her hair, noodles dripping onto her shoulders and the ground. The students roared with laughter and the evil twins practically squirmed with malicious satisfaction.

"There you go, princess." Julie patted Toby's cheek and laughed. Her blonde hair swung out around her as she turned on her heel, prancing off with Jenny and her other cohorts flocking around her.

Toby stared at her tray, feeling strangely numb. Calmly, she picked up her plate, dumped most of the noodles still sticking to her on it, and then shoved it and the tray into the dish return.

Behind her, as the students got up and dispersed, no one noticed that some of the spaghetti noodles on the floor had fallen in the shape of a perfect circle.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: This story is completely original. All characters, settings, and events are spawned from my own mixed up little mind and may not be used, copied, or adapted without my express written permission. Do not steal my story!!!

**2.**

A dunk of her head under the bathroom sink and a set of gym clothes later, Toby yanked her locker open. She shoved the plastic bag of her spaghetti-soaked clothes into the bottom of it, sighing as she started pulling out her books for her next class.

"You make it easy for them, you know," a rich baritone voice from her side said. She glanced past her locker door to see Dominic looking at her. He was nothing short of model-handsome, from his tousled black hair to his eyes that Toby always thought of as 'shock you senseless' blue. She turned back to her locker. She herself wasn't much of anything, too thin with pencil straight dark brown hair about the color of a chocolate bar. The only thing she was proud of were her eyes – a gold-flecked shade of green that called back to her Irish history.

"I don't."

Dominic sighed. "Why don't you ever say anything, Tobes? Tell a teacher what they did to you, at least…"

Toby shrugged one shoulder. "How will that help? They'll have to go to detention for one day, maybe, then they'll be free and even angrier than before. I should have known not to open my mouth in the first place, fire codes be damned."

"Language," Dominic warned, reaching up and running his hand through his hair. Toby always half-expected the world to slow down dramatically, like one would see in a movie, when he did that.

"Why, are you going to tell my mom? Why are you talking to me, anyway?"

"I can't talk to my little sister?" He grinned off-handedly at her and she shook her head.

"We're not even remotely related. Just because our mothers are—"

"—joined at the hip? Clones of each other? Two identical peas in a two-pea pod?"

Toby couldn't stop herself from grinning at him. "Something like that." She pushed her locker shut, looking over at him. "Look, thanks anyway. But don't worry about it. It was only a little spaghetti sauce."

"A 'little'?" One of Dominic's eyebrows arched but Toby just fixed him with a steady gaze. He grinned, holding his hands up to stave off her 'evil eye'. "All right, all right, fine. Get to class, little miss reclusive."

"And don't you dare say anything to them again," Toby accused, pointing her finger sternly at him. "The _last_ time you tried to help, they shoved me into the school pool. Fully clothed!"

Dominic sighed. "All right, but don't think we're done talking about this."

"Yeah we are. See you," Toby said, turning to head to class. She didn't look back to see if he was watching her, but made her way through the crowd to her Calculus class room. The moment she entered the door, conversation ceased and all eyes turned to her. She ducked her head and moved to her place in the back, a flurry of whispers and furtively pointed fingers flying around her.

"Be careful, princess!" A foot stuck out in the aisle caught her ankle, and she went down in a flurry of papers and mocking laughter.

Her hands and knees stinging, she didn't look up but simply began to reach for her papers even as the teacher came in. "Quiet, quiet," he intoned and students turned away from Toby.

As she strained for a packet of paper that had fallen under a girl's desk, the girl planted her toe in the middle and moved it out of Toby's reach. Quick giggles followed her action and Toby dropped her hand. _Don't cry. Don't cry. Don't._

"I'll get it, Princess!"

The teeny, tiny voice by her ear was there and gone so quickly she wondered if she'd imagined it. She glanced up at the boy sitting at the desk, but he wasn't paying her any more attention. Then her eyes were drawn back to the packet as it twitched, lifting up by one corner. She stared as it slowly dragged itself across the floor, then was deposited in her hand.

"Miss Dethewright, please return to your seat."

She jumped at the teacher's voice, glancing up to see everyone staring at her again. "Sorry," she muttered, grabbing the last of her papers and hurrying to her seat. Several students snickered, but this time she didn't hear them. She was staring at the paper in her hand and trying to ignore the prickling at the back of her neck that said someone was watching her.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: This story is completely original. All characters, settings, and events are spawned from my own mixed up little mind and may not be used, copied, or adapted without my express written permission. Do not steal my story!!!

**3. **

"The paper moved?" Dominic regarded Toby skeptically.

"Yes! Like, into my hand!" She hadn't said anything about the voice, because she wasn't even sure she'd heard it herself, but now she was starting to regret even mentioning the paper itself. They'd just gotten off the bus and were walking past the brown fenced pastures down the long dirt road to Toby's house. Dominic lived just over the hill, but usually came home with Toby because his mother was almost always visiting Toby's mother.

"Forget that, it was probably just a stray breeze. I'm more worried about the fact they're bullying you in front of the teachers and the teachers aren't doing anything…" He hooked his hands behind his head, exhaling.

"The teacher wasn't there," Toby said, not sure whether she was trying to defend herself or relieve Dominic's frustration at being unable to help her.

"Anyway, this 'princess' stuff has gone too far, Tobes."

"Whatever. They'll eventually get bored of it," she said, shifting the weight of the books in her arms. She'd have put them in her backpack, but she was afraid that the spaghetti sauce was going to get all over them. Besides, she didn't want to have to open her backpack in front of her mother and clue her in to the fact something had happened at school.

"Then they'll come up with something else! You've got to stop just taking it. It's… it's wrong."

"It's only wrong because it frustrates you," she muttered rebelliously, annoyed that he wouldn't drop the subject. "I don't know why you care so much, it's not like we're little kids on the elementary school playground anymore. You can't just hit them with sticks and make them leave me alone anymore."

"Well—"

"Dominic!" He grinned down at her and she shook her head, climbing up the stairs of the porch to the front door. She paused at the sound of music thudding through the aged wooden walls, pressing her ear to the door to listen. "Oooh. '60's music today. What do you want to bet supper is milkshakes and hot dogs."

"Your mom is so weird."

"So is yours!" She snorted at him, then opened the door, stepping into the house. Her mother, true to Toby's suspicions, greeted her enthusiastically, dressed in a poodle skirt and with a fluffy pink bandanna around her neck.

"Tobydoby! You wouldn't believe what Edna's cooked up. Doesn't it smell _fabulous?_ … why are you in your gym clothes, sweetie?"

"Spilled milk on myself," Toby muttered, ignoring the look Dominic gave her. Instead, she dumped her books on the kitchen table which she could barely see under all of the glasses filled with milkshakes of various colors and consistencies... and, apparently, ingredients.

Dominic lifted one up and sniffed it. "…vanilla cucumber?" he guessed. 

"Nope! Vanilla celery," his mother corrected, sweeping out of the other room. She was dressed like Toby's mother in a poodle skirt that looked like it'd been in storage for far too long, her ebony hair back in a stylish swing. It wasn't hard to see where Dominic had gotten his good looks from; Edna had been a model on her way to the top when she'd met Dominic's father, deciding to settle down with him and have a family instead of pursuing more fame and fortune.

She'd met Toby's mother, Lynne, in a widows' support group three days after her husband and Dominic's father had finally succumbed to lung cancer. Lynne's husband had died two months earlier in a car crash. The two had hit it off and become nearly inseparable, even going so far as to raise their kids together. Even though Dominic was two years older than her, he was still about the only person that Toby ever really spoke to.

"So!" Lynne trilled, lacing her fingers together in front of her. She never looked quite as drab standing next to Edna as Toby would have expected. There was a mother's beauty to her gentle brown eyes and her graying auburn hair. "We figured a great dinner would be hot dogs, fries, and milkshakes! Doesn't that sound wonderful?"

Toby shot Dominic an 'I-told-you-so' look, then shifted her bag on her shoulder. "Sure, Mom," she said. "Call me when it's ready." Then she turned and headed for the safety of the stairs.

Behind her, Lynne folded her arms over her chest, looking over at Dominic with a concerned air. "…did something happen at school today?"

Dominic glanced at the stairs and then turned to his mom and Lynne. "Yes…"


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: This story is completely original. All characters, settings, and events are spawned from my own mixed up little mind and may not be used, copied, or adapted without my express written permission. Do not steal my story!!!

**4.**

Supper was a lively affair, as it usually was with all of them there. Then Lynne and Toby said good night to Edna and Dominic. Toby promptly retreated to her room to 'do homework,' even though she'd finished her homework during her free period, which she usually spent in the library where the others couldn't taunt her… as loudly, anyway.

She was curled up on her bed, a large book propped open on her knees, when she heard it outside – a huge _THUMP!_ as if something very large had just landed in their backyard. She sat up. 

"Mom?" she called, but her mother didn't answer. Sighing, she closed the book and tossed it onto her bed. "If this is another prank, I'm getting the BB gun out…"

She descended the stairs, still muttering to herself. "They better not have squished my pansies… I'll definitely shoot them if they did. Mom?" She peeked her head into the living room, but her mother was nowhere to be seen. She shrugged her mother's absence off (her mother was very weird, as established by the fact that her daughter's name was Tobias and she made milkshakes of vanilla and celery). Instead, she headed out back to investigate the source of the noise.

Pushing the creaky screen door open, she gazed out over the patch of semi-trimmed grass they called their backyard. It disappeared into forest where their land ended and was interrupted by several half-hearted attempts at gardens or landscaping, the neatest and least-forgotten of which were Toby's pansies.

There was nothing there.

The screen door slammed shut behind her and she tucked her arms around her as she frowned, fireflies dotting the night air. "Hello?" she called. "This is private property, you're trespassing. Go home!"

Don't yell, I can hear you perfectly fine. 

The voice bloomed inside of her head, a rich baritone accompanied by soft humming, as if the sound was so pleasing her brain was quivering with joy. It was neither soft nor loud, but impossibly beautiful, and for a moment she didn't care that it was also alien and strange.

Princess? 

She jumped, jolted out of her temporary reverie. "Wh-who's there? How are you doing that?" Her eyes scoured the garden, but saw nothing… until a wedge shaped head born on a long, graceful neck lowered into her view from above. It sparkled in the evening darkness as if its scales were made of millions of tiny sapphires, its eyes luminescent and glowing softly like twin moons in its slim head.

Toby screamed.

She stumbled back, fell on her butt, and screamed again, at which the thing— the _dragon_— reared up out of her sight.

Ow! I said I could hear you! followed her as she scrambled to her feet and fled inside, slamming the door behind her and locking it. _There's a dragon on my porch roof, there's a dragon on my porch roof, there's a dragon on my porch roof…_ran through her head as she ran through the house.

"Mom?! Mom! Mom!!"

Your mother's been eaten, the dragon informed her, and she gripped her head again at the sensation of hearing his voice in her head. She was almost positive it was a he, she could just …_tell_.

"What? Eaten?! By what?!"

That strange metal beast that sat in front of your house. It swallowed her up and then headed off along its path. Such a silly creature, your mother. She walked right up to it. 

The house creaked and then there was a muffled thump to one side of the kitchen. A minute later she could see the dragon peering through the window at her, his eye shining brilliantly in the darkness. She stared, feeling detached from reality as her mind worked to make sense of what he was saying.

"The _car_?"

Is that what that beast was? 

"It's not a beast at all! It's a machine!"

Whatever that means… The dragon's nonchalant voice swept through her mind, so much like a song that she could nearly hear the melody of his relative disinterest in the subject.

"She's not eaten, she's just fine. She controls the car," Toby said as if speaking through a fog. She was talking. To a dragon. Through the kitchen window. Maybe she'd fallen asleep..?

Oh. The dragon harrumphed softly, the gesture making the house quiver. He twisted his neck, peering at her through the window with his other eye. Oh, do come out of there, Princess. It's not dignified to have an audience through a window, no matter what part of the world you're from. 

"… you'll eat me."

The dragon let out a bellow that sounded like a flurry of horns all being blown at the same time, straightening up. She shrank back, afraid that she'd angered him, but when his voice bloomed in her mind again it was full of indignation.

_Eat_ you? What do you take me for, a 14th century dragon? I, your Highness, would never dare eat a princess. I just need you to be distressed. 

She stared at him as her brain worked slowly through what he was saying, finally blinking in confusion at the end – well, at all of it, but mostly the end. "… be distressed? I'm rather distressed right now, if you couldn't tell!"

Yeeeeeees, but I need you distressed out here. How are we supposed to have an epic battle with you inside that box of twigs like that? 

"A battle? What?!"

The dragon harrumphed again, an annoyed sound, as he craned his head to try and see her more fully. He looked like he was about ready to reach through the window and grab her, and she backed up again.

Yes. A battle, Princess. You know, what Knights and Dragons are supposed to do? His snout nudged the window impatiently. Hurry up, it's been ages since we've had a good battle. Get out here, your royal damsel-ness, and be distressed! 

"You have got to be kidding me! This isn't real. I must have hit my head or something. Oh, god." She sank to the floor, covering her head with her hands. She could hear the dragon's note of annoyance again, but squeezed her eyes shut. Maybe if she tried, really really hard, she could just wish him away or wake up from this bad dream or something.

There was, quite suddenly, two soft _crunch_es, and then one rather loud and long creak, from all around her. Then came the sound of a thousand boards groaning and then snapping, and the dragon lifted the house up around her. She thought, as she stared up at him, splinters of wood and possessions that slid off of shelves raining down around her, that it really wasn't physically possible for him to just lift it up like that. It was a really big house, after all.

He calmly set the house to one side, leaving only the floor, complete with the furniture, where the house had been. Toby inhaled.

No screaming! The dragon's head suddenly whipped back towards her, barely a foot from her. This close, she could see how each of the small scales on his hide glittered like a prism, and that his eyes were slowly, gently whirling. She choked on her scream, which sent her into a coughing fit.

The dragon sighed – she'd never thought a dragon could sigh – and patted her on the back with the tip of his tail. Please try not to distress yourself to death, Princess. I'm sure my Knight Errant will be here soon enough. 

Toby was sure she was hyperventilating and going to pass out at any second. She blinked up at the dragon, who, upon closer inspection, was roughly as long as a bus, not including his tail, which was again as long as his body. His wings were tucked against his sides, but folded up over his back and not neatly at his side like all of the pictures she'd ever seen of dragons. They didn't look like bat wings at all.

He rumbled and she jumped, yelping in surprise, which made him look over at her in irritation.

You sure are jumpy, for a Princess… 

"St-stop calling me that!" she finally protested, the first flare of anger sparking into her eyes.

Shush, the dragon instructed, and then curled around her in the remains of the kitchen, his head staring off towards the woods as if waiting for someone. Now just stay there. This is close enough. That blasted Knight should be here soon. 

"You spilled the milkshakes," she observed.

Shush! 


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: This story is completely original. All characters, settings, and events are spawned from my own mixed up little mind and may not be used, copied, or adapted without my express written permission. Do not steal my story!!!

**5. **

They sat there, the dragon like a giant blue wall around her and her with her knees to her chest, morbidly contemplating how many bites it'd take him to eat her, for what seemed like hours. It couldn't have been more than half an hour, though, before there was a sudden pulse of light from between the trees.

The dragon straightened, tension humming through his body. He rustled his wings in anticipation.

"What's—"

Shush, he said for the billionth time that night, more curtly than before. She lapsed into angry silence, but he ignored her.

The light pulsed again. The dragon's great maw parted and she stared at the double row of sharp white teeth that the action revealed. He exhaled slowly, a red hot glow at the back of his throat, visible even from her poor position.

Another pulse. He was crouching around her now, his wings unfurling and flaring. They were as long as he was, and massively wide. They were anchored to his sides in a way that made it clear he wasn't a riding dragon. A rider wouldn't have any place to hang his or her legs or even hold on to that smooth, sleek hide.

The light pulse again, but this time didn't fade completely. Another pulse, quicker now, and the light was shining steadily, growing in brightness until the backyard and the ruined remains of her house – and the rest of the house, set neatly to one side – were lit as brightly as if someone had turned on a flood light.

Then something shot out of the light like a streak. The dragon roared, a sound that made Toby's entire body vibrate. She screamed and covered her head with her arms as the dragon leaped into the air.

There was a sudden crack and flash, like lightning striking, and the dragon roared again, this time sounding as if in pain. Toby hunched against the fridge, which had been knocked over by the dragon, trying to cover herself as a fireball erupted in the sky. Another crack of lightning. A ball of white hot flame exploded on the ground, turning the dirt molten white.

Over the din, she heard, very dimly, a woman's voice yelling.

Then came a crack that seemed so loud that Toby's first thought was that the world had been ripped in half. Silence fell, followed by a muffled thump.

Toby cracked one eye open.

There, lying in front of her, and still smoking, was a naked boy. Well, young man.

"H-hello?" She reached out with the toe of her shoe, poking his arm. He moved, groaned, but didn't respond. His hair was brilliant blue, and there seemed a faint patterning on his skin, especially down his spine, reminiscent of the dragon's scales and just as prismatic. "Are you hurt?"

"He'll be fine, poppet!"

Toby raised her head just in time to see a young woman float to the ground. She was as strange and alien looking as the boy, with long silver hair and piercing amethyst eyes. She wore a dress that looked like it'd been stolen from a stage performance of Cinderella, complete with puffy sleeves and a huge skirt. In one hand she held a thin, gnarled branch that was glowing like white-hot ember at the end.

"Who…" Toby started, not sure if she could take any more surprises tonight.

"Verily, verily, my name is Verum, my very confused pet." She knelt in front of Toby, smiling, and Toby was struck by the fact that she didn't look much older than Toby herself.

"Verum? What… what happened? Who's that? And what happened to the dragon?"

"That…" Verum said, a very smug gleam in her eyes. ".._is_ the dragon."

Toby straightened and looked at the naked young man. She could see by the rise and fall of his chest he was alive. "…you turned him into a human? But… but how?"

Verum stood in a rustling of skirts and gestured with her wand dramatically, sending sparkles coursing through the sky. "I, Princess, am your fairy godmother! … Well, sort of."

Toby ignored the first part. She was pretty sure she was either hallucinating all of this or had really gone crazy, anyway. "'Sort of'?"

"Well… I'm sort of still in training. I actually meant to turn him into a toad, you see… but I guess I got thinking that then you might kiss him and then he'd turn back into a dragon, and then I'd have to turn him into something else, so I just decided to cut to the chase and turn him into a human. My, won't the Knight be amused." She clapped her hands together happily. Toby stared at her.

"…why, on Earth, would I kiss a frog?!"

Verum smiled. "Oh, goodness me, I've no clue. But you are a princess, you'd probably kiss a porcupine if it told you it'd turn into a handsome prince."

"Stop calling me that! I'm not a princess and I don't know where you crazy people came from, but go away! My mother will be home soon and she's going to _freak_ at the sight of the house, and I have no idea how I'm going to explain this to her, much less you and the dragon who is now lying naked on our kitchen floor!" Toby finished yelling, finding that she felt much better. Verum just blinked at her.

"Well." She pushed up her sleeves – a futile endeavor, because they were so billowy and loose they just fell down immediately – and raised her stick. Wand, probably. "I can, at least, take care of the house…" She paused, then added, "I think."

"You _think?_"

Toby's indignation fell on deaf ears, however. The fairy godmother-in-training was gesturing with her wand, humming to herself in a language that Toby felt she could _almost_ understand. The meaning was right there, like something she'd remembered she'd forgotten, but eluded her. She was so busy wondering about that that she jumped in surprise when the house suddenly.. moved. It gave itself a good shake with a clack of shutters slamming back and forth, shingles flying everywhere. Then it crawled from where the dragon had set it on thousands of splintered-timber legs back towards them.

Toby squeaked, ducking, but the house lifted itself up on its millipede wood legs, carefully stepping over them before settling down onto its foundation. There came a soft, appreciative groan, and it was still.

"There!" Verum said, happily.

Toby looked around and could hardly tell that the house had been separated from its base. "I… guess that works," she said, slowly, then looked back at the odd silver-haired woman. She shook her head, getting to her feet and dusting herself off as she surveyed the mess that was the kitchen. She didn't know what to do about the refrigerator, which was on its side with most of its contents spilled on the ground.

"My mother's going to kill me," she groaned.

"Tch! Princess, you wound me!" Verum's eyes were glittering in that smug way, as if she knew a secret that Toby didn't. The brunette blinked slowly at Verum, too tired by all that had happened to bother asking what it was. She'd probably blurt it out in the next second.

Sure enough, "I'll just have everything put itself back where it belongs!"

"Is that a good idea?" Toby asked, warily.

"What could go wrong?" Verum replied in a flippant tone that made Toby's head hurt.

"I really wish people wouldn't say things like that," she muttered to herself, but Verum wasn't listening. She was gesturing with her glowing twig again, speaking in that strange almost-sensical language.

Then she tapped the tip of her wand on the countertop. "Listen, listen!" she called. "Everyone! Back to your places!"

The refrigerator shuddered and groaned, pushing itself up. Toby squeaked and jumped away from it as all the containers of food closed themselves, lifting up and settling back into their places on the shelves. The sponges flew back onto the sink from where they'd slid off. She could hear things tinkling in the living room as they returned to their places on shelves and tables, some brushing themselves off before settling down. One of the pictures even circled three times like a cat before plunking itself down.

"Watch out," Verum advised as the mop and bucket flew from the closet, whizzing overhead. The bucket wedged itself into the sink, which obligingly turned on, filled it with some water, then turned off. The mop dunked itself, wrung itself out, and then began mopping up the mess on the floor. The broom started industriously sweeping up the crumbs and Toby heard the hum of the vacuum cleaner in the other room.

"What did you do?"

"That doesn't matter, poppet. It should wear off before your mother dear gets home. Now, we'll just take this," she gestured and spoke a word at the former dragon and he lifted off the ground. "And up we go." At Toby's blank stare Verum beamed again. "Don't you want to know what's going on? Who better to tell you than your very own fairy godmother?"

"…sort-of fairy godmother," Toby corrected under her breath as she headed for the stairs.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: This story is completely original. All characters, settings, and events are spawned from my own mixed up little mind and may not be used, copied, or adapted without my express written permission. Do not steal my story!!!

**6.**

"Long ago, fairy tale creatures and magic were as everyday and commonplace as the sun rising. Grand adventures, damsels-in-distress, magical transformations, knights, spells… it was all so alive, so vibrant! Everything depended on the Princesses, however. There was no more devastating blow than when the Princesses started disappearing. With each—"

"Why?" Toby interrupted, and Verum blinked at her. Verum was sitting on Toby's window seat, and Toby was sitting on the floor against the wall in her bedroom. The dragon was lying on the bed, a blanket draped over him. "Why did they disappear?" Toby prompted.

"Well, obviously we don't know or we would have done something about it. Now stop interrupting and let me tell the story."

"Sorry," Toby said, falling silent. Verum gazed towards the ceiling as if collecting her thoughts before plunging back into her story.

"With each one we lost, more of our people lost their vibrancy and fell into a sort of hibernation. Those of us who were able to remain awake searched desperately for the Princesses, going to the far reaches of the world and looking everywhere. We moved the Princesses who were left to safe locations – Bellephon's aerie, the selkies' city of Bluurble, everywhere were we thought they couldn't be touched. They still continued to fade away, without even a trace as to where they'd gone. Then our last Princess remained, only a fraction of our people still alive. We took her to the safest place we could think of – the Fae Court, on Avalon."

"Avalon? As in, King Arthur Avalon?"

"Yes and no," Verum said patiently. "King Arthur didn't really exist, you see. When the Princesses started disappearing, the Fae, who were, of course, the last of the people to sleep, being the epitome of the fairy tale world, sent their Court Scribe, Murmurling, to the humans. She was trying to find someone to take the place of the Princesses, you see, but she failed, and all that was left was a good yarn that the humans thought up."

"Oh."

"Now, will you be quite so I can continue?"

"Sorry."

"Anyway. The last Princess, Rosalinde, stayed in the Fae Queen's own bedchamber, guarded by the fairy princes. The entire Fae Court was on guard. And then, one morning, she was gone."

"So much for your protections," Toby snorted, and Verum shot her a glare.

"She was surrounded by thousands of Fae! It's just impossible that someone got to her!" She looked vexed for a moment, then shook her head, regaining that peaceful calm of hers. "With the last Princess gone, the Sleep took over the rest of our country, and all of our people fell into slumber. Magic faded from the world, and our country was forgotten and resigned to myth and lore… until now." Her eyes glittered like a cat's in the darkness, her gaze intense as she looked at Toby.

"You're the crack of sunlight, Princess, over the horizon. Your presence makes the Sleep's hold wane. They're waking up. They're all waking up."

"_I'm not a Princess!_" Toby half-yelled, frustrated. "No one is listening to me! I'm not even remotely royal! Do you see courtiers or a castle? Do you see a crown on my head? No! I'm not a Princess!'

"Maybe you weren't," Verum said, unflappable. "But you are now. You were crowned."

"A high school drama queen dumped spaghetti on my head in front of the entire school! How is that even remotely close to being crowned?!"

"It met all of the criteria," Verum replied, still calm even in the face of Toby's near-hysteria. She raised the fingers of one hand and counted off on them. "You must have the ruler of the place perform a ceremony in front of an audience and then award a crown. Ruler, ceremony, audience, crown. You met all four criteria. In the eyes of my country, you're a Princess."

"That's ridiculous. Julie doesn't rule the school and she didn't even _mean _it. She was just humiliating me!"

Verum regarded Toby patiently. "What would have happened if the…" She wrinkled her nose in the strangest 'I'm-thinking' gesture that Toby had ever seen. "… principal, is it? What would have happened if he had come in? Would she have backed down?"

"Well, he would have stopped her… I think…"

"Official title is not the only way to rule a kingdom," Verum said, folding her hands neatly in her lap and smiling at Toby in a way that only irritated the brunette. "She is seen by all of the subjects – all of the other students – as being in charge of the school regardless of what the principal or teachers say, so she counts as the true ruler of the school."

Toby stared at Verum. She couldn't think of anything to say. What about all of the Princesses in the world, all the actually royal ones? Why her? Surely she hadn't been the first student bullied by being given a mocking title. This was all so unreal, she could hardly wrap her mind around it.

"So… what… what does this… being a princess mean? I can't rule a country, especially not one where things like dragons ripping your house off its foundations happen all the time! My mom'll kill me."

"Oh, no no no," Verum said with a tittering laugh. "The Fairy Queen takes care of ruling. As a princess, however, you're more like.. the person that things revolve around. Whether you like it or not, our people –"

"_Your_ people."

"—are going to come to see you, to talk to you, to bask in the simple power that we get just from your presence."

"More of you are coming?!"

"Oh yes. Probably droves and droves more." Verum looked positively delighted at the concept. "You see, we've all been asleep for oh so very long. And we're all ready for a good romp again, to get out and stretch our proverbial and literal wings. You can't imagine how happy we are to have a Princess again, after oh so long!"

"Then why do I get a fairy godmother-in-training?" Toby asked, exasperatedly. She didn't mean it in a mean way, and immediately regretted saying it when a furrow crossed Verum's forehead. The young woman looked down at her hands and Toby sighed. "Look, I didn't mean…"

"It's all right. Look, you must be very tired, Princess. It's been a terrible long day. Why don't you let me check your mattress for peas and then you can get some sleep."

Toby eyed Verum. The woman hadn't answered her question, but she sensed there was something there that Verum wasn't quite ready to talk about. And she was pretty tired… She decided to ignore the part about the pea – the Princess and the pea, hah – and instead glanced at the still-slumbering young man taking up her bed.

"Where're you gonna put him, then?"

"On the floor," Verum said, with that smug, nearly wicked little smile again. And that's exactly what she did.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: This story is completely original. All characters, settings, and events are spawned from my own mixed up little mind and may not be used, copied, or adapted without my express written permission. Do not steal my story!!!

**7.**

Toby woke up to a screech that made her jump and tumble out of her bed in shock. She yanked the blankets off of her head, looking for the source of the ear-splitting noise, which paused for all of two seconds before continuing again.

The dragon was awake.

In fact, he was so awake that he was standing in the middle of her bedroom, staring at his hands and letting out that inhuman screech. Toby blushed; he was still quite naked. She couldn't decide whether to clamp her hands over her ears or her eyes, but finally she clamped them over her ears, squeezed her eyes shut and yelled, as loudly as she could, "VERUM!"

There as a sound much like the amplified pop of a bubble and Verum's voice calmly said a word in that strange almost-familiar language. The screeching stopped and Verum opened her eyes. The dragon was still screeching, but now it made no noise. That seemed to jolt him out of his screeching-fit, and his eyes – brilliantly, inhumanly blue and pulsing softly with light – fixated on Verum. He yelled something, realized it made no noise, then opened his mouth again.

There was a neon orange glow at the back of his throat and Verum suddenly darted forward, clamping her hand over his mouth and pointing her wand at him like a stern finger.

"No no! No breathing fire!"

"He can still breathe fire?!" It was Toby's turn to screech, getting to her feet and kicking her blankets to the side. Both Verum and the naked dragon-boy looked over at her, blinking slowly.

"Well of course he can, poppet. And likely fly, I'd imagine. After all, he is a dragon…"

"What was the point of you turning him human, then?!"

Verum stared. She looked back at the dragon, hand still over his mouth, then shrugged, beaming at Toby. "Your mother won't know he's a dragon?"

Toby flopped onto her bed, burying her face in her hands and groaned. She glanced at the clock; nearly midnight. She was shocked her mother wasn't home yet. She and Edna were probably out making s'mores or telling ghost stories out in the forest or something similarly weird like that.

"You," Toby said, pointing at the dragon. "No more screeching." The dragon folded his arms over his chest, glowering. The action made Toby blush again and cover her eyes. "And put some clothes on!"

The dragon looked down at himself, then looked up at Verum and shrugged. The fairy godmother-in-training beamed and then twitched her wand at the dragon. Bands of light erupted and wrapped in layers around the dragon. They tightened, then burst out, leaving him in jeans and a white shirt. Nondescript clothes, to be sure, but at least Verum seemed to know what would draw unnecessary attention.

"Thank you," Toby said, finally lowering her hand. "Now. If Verum lets you talk again, will you promise not to yell or breathe fire?"

The dragon glowered. Toby remembered that look from his other form. Finally he nodded, looking unhappy about it. Verum leveled the wand at him and said a single word. The dragon inhaled.

"WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME?!"

"I said no yelling!" Toby clamped her hands over her ears. "Besides, I didn't do it! Verum did!"

The dragon rounded on Verum, who blinked her big, long-lashed amethyst eyes at him innocently. "Well, poppet, you were trying to use my Princess as bait for your Knight. Who, I'm sure, is probably on the other side of the world jousting windmills or something like that."

"Your Knight is Don Quixote?"

"Who?" Verum and the dragon asked simultaneously. Toby sighed. "Nevermind…"

"Anyway, I saw her first! Couldn't you at least let us have one good battle? It's been so long…"

"And it's been just as long for the rest of us. Now hush. No complaining. Besides, you know how much trouble you'd get in if they found out you were here…" Her voice took a sudden, serious look and the dragon's eyes darkened. After a moment he looked away from that direct gaze. Toby looked between the two of them.

"You're not going to turn him back to a dragon?" she asked Verum. The silver-haired woman flushed.

"I… well, that is… If I…. I mean, I…. Well…. I don't know…. How to."

"You… don't know how to?"

"What kind of a pathetic Fairy Godmother are you?" the dragon exclaimed, outraged. Then he suddenly pulled back, his eyes widening. "Oh no… you aren't…. You aren't Verily Vapid Verum, are you?!"

Verum flushed even deeper, the red going all the way up to the roots of her silver hair. "Don't call me that!"

The dragon's eyes lit up with mirth, snorting as he pointed at her. "You are, you are! Verily verily!"

"Do you want to be a toad?! I'll turn you into a toad!" Verum stomped her foot, her face turning a rather impressive shade of violet. Toby didn't know whether to laugh at the situation or cry that her fairy godmother (in-training) had such an … apt nickname.

The dragon was laughing and Verum was yelling threats at him, waving her wand in the air, when Toby caught the sound of a car pulling into the driveway. She dove forward, slapping her hands over both of their mouths, listening with a baited breath. She could hear the downstairs door open, then close. It seemed like forever until she finally heard her mother come up the stairs and walk into her bedroom, the soft click of her door shut making Toby sigh and drop her hands.

"Listen," she said, seriously. "I don't intend to be a princess. I'm _not_ a princess to begin with. So tomorrow morning, first things first, we're going to go find Julie and get her to … renounce the coronation or something like that."

"You can't—"

"But you—"

Toby slashed the air with her hand, cutting their protests off mid-air. She was mildly shocked that they'd actually listened to her, but brushed it aside. "That's final! Now, dragon, go—"

"I have a name, you know," the dragon said, dryly. Toby stared at him. "A name," he repeated. "I have one. And it's not 'dragon.'"

"… what is it?" Toby asked, wondering what type of a name one would give a dragon. Probably something over the top, like Brimstone or Dreadmaw the Destroyer or Gilgahalakharanos.

The dragon preened. "Theodore. But you can call me Theo, Princess."


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: This story is completely original. All characters, settings, and events are spawned from my own mixed up little mind and may not be used, copied, or adapted without my express written permission. Do not steal my story!!!

**8. **

Verum was gone the next morning when Toby woke up. She wasn't even sure if fairy godmothers, even those in training, needed to sleep or where she went when she wasn't around, but at least Toby seemed to be able to call her when she needed her. Theodore was stretched out on the floor amid a tangle of the blankets Toby had given him to sleep on, snoring loudly.

Who would have thought dragons snored.

It took her more time than she had patience to get Theodore awake and coherent enough to walk down to the bus stop. Then she had to coerce him to let the bus 'eat him,' promising him that it wouldn't hurt and they could get back out again. Once on it, he clamped his hands around one of the metal poles and held on with a single-minded determination. He wouldn't even talk to Toby as the bus lurched away from the curb, until the bus stopped and he bolted off … three stops too soon. He seemed happy enough to walk the rest of the way, but Toby envied Verum and her bubble-pop teleportation or whatever it was that she did to get around.

The mall was shaped like a wheel with the food court in a circle at the center and five 'spokes' of stores jutting out. The crowning glory of the food court was two raised circular platforms topped by an overly grandiose fountain of cherubs or something like that. Since it was Saturday, Julie and her mob were certain to be found on the top platform, ensuring optimal viewing for themselves – and for everyone else to see them.

Toby took hold of Theo's hand and dragged him through the entrance and down the hallway. He wanted to stop and look at everything; apparently the old stories about dragons being irresistibly drawn to treasure weren't too far off, because anything shiny seemed to rivet the young man to the spot. It didn't help that he was getting more than a few looks. Even dressed plainly, he made quite a sight with his spiky, deep blue hair that seemed to subtly shift through hues of blue and his matching deep blue eyes which seemed to shine faintly even in the daylight.

Toby just put her head down and tried to get to the center of the court as quickly as possible. Finally they got to the food court, and with Theo in tow, Toby marched right up the stairs to the upper platform. All she could think about was getting to Julie and ending this whole mess. She barely even registered how socially taboo this was, how students on both platforms were staring, how she wouldn't have even dreamed of this a day ago. She had no room for thoughts of retribution or social norms right now; her head was too full of thoughts of fairy tales, dragons, and princesses.

"Tobes?" Toby looked up to see Dominic standing in front of her, looking from her to the blue-haired young man she had in tow.

"Where's Julie?" Toby asked, bluntly.

Dominic stared at her. His stare was so intense it made one week in the knees. "What? Why?"

"Just tell me where she is," Toby said with a sigh. Theo shifted impatiently behind her.

"Over there, I think…" Dominic finally said, staring at Theo.

"Here, watch him. And for my sanity please don't let him get arrested." Toby pulled Theo forward and shoved him into a seat next to Dominic. The dragon sprawled and looked shocked at the act of sitting. She pointed a stern finger at him. "_Stay,_" she ordered. "Or I'll get Verum to put that silence spell back on and not take it off."

He narrowed glowing blue eyes at her. "You wouldn't dare…"

"Try me," Toby said, then grabbed Dominic's fries and set them down in front of the dragon. "Eat Dom's fries. I'll be right back." She glanced at Dominic, noting the confused, blank expression on his face, but had no time for it. Instead she hurried down the stairs towards the store Dominic had pointed at.

"Tobes –" Dominic started, but Toby didn't pause. He looked down at the strange blue-haired punk to find him staring back at Dominic with those freaky eyes. Dominic wondered if they were contacts of some sort, but if they were, they were the weirdest contacts he'd ever seen. "What?" he demanded.

"That's _my_ damsel," Theo said. "Get your own." Then he reached up and stuffed a fry into his mouth, still staring at Dominic.


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: This story is completely original. All characters, settings, and events are spawned from my own mixed up little mind and may not be used, copied, or adapted without my express written permission. Do not steal my story!!!

**9.**

Julie and Jenna were in the middle of the store, surrounded by no less than six other girls who all looked like identical clones of the two. Toby waded between the clothes racks, her eyes on the two queen bees. When she was a few feet from them, someone jarred Julie's elbow and hissed at her, and almost as a single unit everyone looked up at Toby.

She almost forgot what she was here to do and she barely kept herself from shrinking down and bolting for safety.

"Renounce it," she blurted out. Julie and Jenna looked at each other, then burst out into cruel laughter.

"Renounce it? Renounce _what_, princess?" Julie sneered. "Anyway, what are you doing here with us lowly peasants? Shouldn't you be off in your lofty tower, stuffing your head with knowledge so you can show off in front of everyone?" Some of the girls twittered. Toby swallowed around the lump in her throat.

"Please… just… say you didn't mean it… the… the princess bit, say that it was all just a joke…" Toby's voice sounded reedy and weak to her ears and the answer of mocking laughter threatened to drown the last of her self control.

"A joke? You're the joke if you think I'm going to take it back just because you crawled in here with your tail between your legs. Go home, _princess_."

Toby felt hot tears of humiliation stinging at the corners of her eyes. Before she could reply, however, there was a sudden commotion in the hallway, a clattering like when her mother's pans fell out of the cupboard onto the floor. Underneath it she could hear the staccato of horse's hooves.

"Oh no…"

The Knight and warhorse surged into view. The light from the glass dome above glinted off the plate armor that covered both, making them seem to shine almost ethereally. The plate was made out of some metal Toby couldn't identify, so silver it was nearly white with an iridescent sheen to it like a mother of pearl shell. The horse was jet black, tall and solidly built with a long tail that brushed the ground as it walked and silken feathers on its feet. It walked – no, pranced – lightly, as if unaware of the weight of the rider it bore.

The Knight sat regally tall and straight, silvery metal covering every inch of the Knight's body, including the large gauntlets that rested, one on the horse's reins and the other on the hilt of a sword large enough that it by itself should have been difficult for the horse to carry. A helm sporting a ripple of glossy black feathers down its back covered the Knight's face from view, but Toby knew instinctively that the face underneath would be noble.

"What a freak!" Toby heard Julie titter behind her. "Someone should call security—"

Toby didn't wait around to hear the end of that sentence, not that she needed to, but bolted towards the door of the store. This had to be the Knight Errant, Toby couldn't think of anyone else it could possibly be, and Theo was outside in the foot court, directly in the Knight's path. And if Theo saw the Knight, well… they'd do what dragons and knights _always_ did.

Frankly, Toby didn't want to have to pay for the repairs.

She heard a shout of delight like a bugling of a horn and knew it was too late. Skidding to a stop just outside of the door of the store, she saw the Knight rein to a stop, the horse dancing slightly as if it could sense its master's excitement. Theo was standing on one of the tables on the tallest platform, his eyes ablaze, heedless of the drinks his frenzied motion had knocked over or the protests of those sitting at the table.

"It's about time you got here!"

"Who art thou? Where be the dragon?" The Knight's voice was a ringing bell, spoken calmly, even softly, but carried throughout the courtyard as easily as Theo's own shout.

Theo nearly fell off the table, gathered himself up, then shouted "_I'm_ the dragon!"

"… thou art human," the Knight replied and Toby could practically feel the disbelief radiating off of the silver-clad figure.

Theo 'harrumph'ed in a gesture Toby remembered all too well, his hands on his hips. "Fairy godmother," he explained, and Toby watched as the Knight straightened almost imperceptibly. That seemed all the explanation that was needed.

"Aye! In that case, foul beast, have at thee!" There was the sound of the sword being drawn – one handed, even – and the horse reared up, its neigh echoing its rider's challenge. Toby was surprised the motion didn't unseat the Knight and downright shocked its back legs didn't break under the weight.

Theo suddenly leaped from the second platform, causing several of the girls to let out little shrieks. He easily cleared both of the platforms however, landing lightly on his feet in front of the Knight, who swung that sharp sword at him. Theo dodged, then made an odd sort of twitch, overbalancing and nearly falling on his butt. Toby was confused for a second, then realized he probably wasn't used to being human – and not having a tail. How did he plan to win a fight against a fully armored and mounted Knight when he wasn't even a dragon?

Apparently he wasn't about to give up, though, because he grabbed a garbage can – the entire thing – and flung it at the Knight. The silver-clad figure batted it away with the flat of the gargantuan sword, wielding the claymore-sized blade as easily as if it was nothing more than a rapier.

The Knight's horse reared, flailing his hooves at Theo's face, but the dragon easily dodged. The horse landed, tossed his head, and snorted in exasperation. "You were easier to hit when you were bigger…"

Toby didn't have time to wonder where the voice had come from because Theo had grabbed an entire food court table this time. Food and drinks flew everywhere as he hoisted it over his head, his blue eyes aglow with the light battle. He flung the table at the Knight, who batted it out of the way again.

"Charge, Valiance!" The Knight yelled and the horse lowered his head and complied, the clatter of his hooves on the tile floor deafening as he charged for the former-dragon.

"Theo!" Toby cried. Dragon or no, there was no way he'd survive being run over by a fully armored horse and rider.

She needn't have worried though, because Theo bunched his legs then leaped into the air. He seemed almost to hover as he easily cleared both horse and rider, turning completely before landing lightly on the ground. He immediately whipped around to face the Knight. They were both in front of Toby, but even from the distance she was at she could see the air ripple as Theo opened his mouth.

"Theo – _no!!_" If he spat a fireball, and missed, or even if the Knight deflected it, he'd hit someone. Their little shenanigans had attracted quite the crowd, and no matter where it hit it'd endanger someone. Before she even had time to think, to realize what she was doing was incredibly stupid, she dashed forward, into the path of the flames already bursting from Theo's mouth.

"Princess!" came that tiny voice she'd heard the day before during class, and light unfolded into a small glowing orb in front of her.

There was no time to react, no time to move or even wonder what the light in front of her was as her vision filled with fire. The inferno burst forward towards her; she didn't even have time to scream. There was a pulse of light from the orb in front of her and suddenly a soft shimmer like the surface of a bubble appeared with the prick of light at its center, expanding to grow as large as the blast of fire that was racing towards them. It all happened in a fraction of a second, and then the fireball had hit the bubble.

Stray embers floated past her, but none large enough to do any real damage. The bubble held, the fire ricocheting off of it to dissipate harmlessly in the cold air of the mall.

The bubble of light held until the last of the flames had been deflected, then popped. The glow of light dropped to the ground, smoldering and white hot.

In the shocked silence that followed that display, the Knight lunged forward, and with a mighty _clang!_ conked Theo with the flat of that ridiculously large sword. The dragon dropped to his rear, gripping the side of his head.

"Ow!! What was that for?!"

Toby ignored him, kneeling so she could peer down at the light that'd saved her. She gasped. There, still smoking slightly, was a tiny winged person. His bare chest was covered in swirling, complex tattoos of a shade darker than his skin color, which was golden, the color of honey still in the comb. The pictures kept shifting subtly, like the play of sunlight over water. He wore what looked like emerald green silk pants, singed along the hem, and a silver torc twisted around his upper arm. His hair was a shade of spring green that put even new buds of grass to shame, held back in a single, long ponytail. He was the prettiest little man she'd ever seen, especially when his wings fluttered and he sat up, rubbing his forehead.

"Who—" she started, but was interrupted when a plated arm slid around her waist. The Knight hoisted her up onto the horse as effortlessly as if she weighed nothing at all, setting her down carefully on the front of the saddle. "Wait!" she protested, straining to see if the tiny man was all right, but the Knight had already grabbed the reins again.

"We hath rescued the fair maiden, Valiance," the Knight proclaimed, voice resounding through the hushed mall. "Onwards, to safety!"

The horse surged forward and Toby let out a shriek, clinging to the cool metal of the Knight's armor as the mall blurred past them. She looked forward to see the doors of the mall and cringed, expecting to crash right through them, but they flung open in the path of the horse as if blown by a strong breeze. Then they were charging out into the sunlight and Toby closed her eyes.

She was never going to be able to show her face at school again.


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: This story is completely original. All characters, settings, and events are spawned from my own mixed up little mind and may not be used, copied, or adapted without my express written permission. Do not steal my story!!!

**10.**

Toby wasn't sure how long the horse ran for, but it seemed like an eternity. He didn't tire or falter, the rhythm of his hooves varying only in sound, according to what they were passing over. Every so often Toby would open her eyes and try to figure out where they were, but she couldn't see through the curtain of her hair whipping around in the wind, much less discern which houses they were blurring past, and she feared for the continued safety of her glasses if the wind caught them.

Finally, the Knight pulled the horse to a stop and Toby ran her hands furiously through her hair to try and get the long, dark brown strands out of her face, pushing her glasses up her nose again. She looked around, only to find they were standing in front of the porch of her house.

"How…" she started, but then just shook her head. "Never mind."

The Knight was already dismounting, swinging from the horse with a nimble grace that made it seem like the heavy plate wasn't even there. Toby's hands went to the Knight's shoulders as gauntleted hands gently took her waist and lifted her down off of the horse, setting her gently down on her feet.

"Fair Princess," the Knight said again, and Toby wondered if the helmet amplified that strong voice or if it was just that way. The Knight kneeled before Toby, reaching up and suddenly sweeping the feather-topped helm off.

Long golden tresses the color of spun sunlight cascaded down around the Knight's silver-clad shoulders, which Toby realized were too slim to be a man's. The Knight was a _woman_, and a gorgeous one too. Her face was as noble and strong as Toby had thought it would be, but it was also beautiful, with two brilliant blue eyes framed by lashes so long and dark they put mascara to shame. The iridescent armor she wore hid the rest of her body, but Toby felt certain that in 'normal' clothes, the Knight would look like a supermodel or actress. She had that air of glamour around her, as if normal everyday dreariness couldn't touch her.

The woman – Theo's Knight Errant – raised Toby's hand to her full, rose-colored lips and kissed the back of it. Toby stared.

"We hath rescued thee from the claws of a most foul dragon. It doth be our pleasure to see thee unharmed. I doth be called Georgette, Lady-Knight of the Order of the Briar-rose; who doth ride the last of the Pooka, Valiance; who didst slay the dreaded dragon Eustace; who didst rescue the fair Rosalinde from the dank depths of the Cavern of Never-ending Sorrowful Tears; who didst win the Joust of the Cockatiel; who didst—"

"Uh, nice to meet you!" Toby said; she had the feeling that letting the Knight continue would just result in an even bigger headache.

"You're a drab little thing, for a princess." Toby jumped and looked up into the deep brown eyes of the horse. His ears were pricked forward, his silky black mane curling slightly in the breeze, and he was regarding her with an expression that could only be described as as scrutinizing, though there was a faint gleam in those eyes, like barely withheld mischief.

"I'm not a princess," Toby repeated with a sigh, feeling like that was all she said anymore. The talking horse didn't even bother her. It, in a strange sort of way, made sense especially when in the context of everything else that had happened. It was also hard to be bothered by it because when she looked into those big, brown eyes it just made _sense_ that he could speak. "This whole thing is just a big misunderstanding. I went to the mall today to get Julie to renounce it so you would all just leave me alone, but your little spat with Theo sort of interrupted that."

"I doth nae understand… Thou art a Princess. I shalt prove it to thee and all others." Georgette's furrow of confusion straightened into a determined look, one that Toby found strangely comforting. At least the Knight was dedicated to protecting Toby, and didn't seem the type to be deceitful or untruthful.

"What do you mean?" Toby asked, watching as the Knight rose, going to the black stallion and opening one of the small leather bags laying underneath the rich blue cloth that draped across the stallion's back under its saddle. She pulled something out, patting Valiance's flank once.

The Knight turned and knelt before Toby again, the object she'd pulled out laying across both of her palms. It was a simple pale silver curve, a clear, prismatic cut gem, like a diamond only even _shinier_, like it was actually alight, in the center of it, the silver twisted around it like vines cradling the gem. Toby let out a sound of admiration. She'd never been much of one for jewelry, never really seeing the point of it, but it was easily the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen. She reached out to touch it, and the silver band seemed to warm against her fingers.

She looked up at the Knight. "Georgette, it's lovely…"

"It doth be thine," Georgette said simply. Toby's mouth gaped open and she was pretty sure she heard the horse snicker.

"Oh no no no, that must cost.. hundreds! Thousands! I certainly don't deserve something so pretty, I—" Georgette laid a single plated finger on Toby's lips, smiling.

"Kneel," she instructed. Toby's eyes went from the crown to the Knight's sincere face and saw no deception in those sapphire eyes. So she ran her palms over the thighs of her jeans and lowered herself to her kneels on the wood of the porch. Georgette stood and Toby couldn't help but be struck by how impressive a sight she made, her golden hair whipping out around her in the breeze, the sunlight turning her armor into iridescent light.

"As the Lady-Knight of the Order of the Briar-rose, I do, in the name of the Fairy Queen herself, recognize thee as Princess and bestow upon thee thy crown, which shall evermore mark thee as life and heart of the Land."

She carefully settled the tiara on Toby's forehead, and for a moment the brunette was sure it was just going to fall forward and make a mockery of this whole semi-serious business. But then, she swore it shrunk, not painfully, but molding itself to her head, the silver band across her forehead with the crystal sparkling between her eyes. A little thrill, like the briefest electric current, raced through Toby, and was still. The Knight gently removed Toby's glasses, then brushed her silver-plated fingers along Toby's bangs, as if to judge whether that was any improvement.

Valiance leaned his head over and inspected her, then nodded his approval, his big black ears flicking forward, then back. "That's a bit better, though she could do with a nice skirt or a bow or some sparkles to liven her up."

"I do think thee a true princess now, Princess," the Lady-Knight said to Toby.

Toby reached up, running her fingers along the tiara. It sat perfectly comfortable and light on her brow, as if it was meant to be there. "Wow," she said, finally, then grinned at Georgette. "Thanks!"

The blonde woman bowed to Toby, politely. "I be in thy service, m'lady."

Toby groaned. "Just Toby, please?"

"Of course, m'lady."

"No. No 'm'lady'. Just Toby. To-by."

The Knight nodded seriously. "As thou wishest, m'lady."

Toby sighed. "Never mind…" She put her hands on her hips, staring down the driveway. Then she groaned. "Oh great, we left Verum and Theodore at the mall!"

"Tobydoby? Is that you? Dom just called, he said you'd been abduct…ed…." Toby's mother swung the door open, jerking to a stop on the porch. Her eyes flicked between her now de-glassesed, tiara'd daughter, to the woman in full silver armor, to the black horse that was staring right back at her, then back to Toby.

"Err…. Hi mom! This is Georgette the Knight Errant, and Valiance, the Pookie," Toby said with a fake sounding laugh. Her mother looked like she was going to faint, her eyes wide and her jaw just hanging down.

"Pooka," Valiance corrected, and the three of them watched as Linda's eyes rolled back into her head and she fell backwards in a dead faint. "…oops," the horse said a minute later, but Toby thought to herself that he didn't sound sorry in the slightest.


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: This story is completely original. All characters, settings, and events are spawned from my own mixed up little mind and may not be used, copied, or adapted without my express written permission. Do not steal my story!!!

**11.**

Theodore and Verum showed up an hour later, arguing heatedly. Behind them, trailing along with wide eyes and looking quite shell-shocked and soundly confused, was Dominic. The dragon and fairy godmother-in-training weren't bothering to try and pretend that it'd all been a show; in fact, Verum was enthusiastically threatening to seal Theo's mouth shut so the next time he breathed fire and endangered the only Princess they had left, he'd only give himself a bad headache. Resting on one of Verum's shoulders, using one of her puffy sleeve as a pillow and slumbering soundly, was the little winged man. Fairy, Toby decided. Had to be.

Georgette had carried Linda into the house, then took up position standing guard next to the doorway. Toby wondered if the Knight could sit down… Well, maybe the most appropriate question was, once the Knight did sit down, if she could get up. The blonde didn't seem too burdened down by the plate mail that she wore, but it certainly looked pretty heavy.

When Linda woke up again it took Toby fifteen minutes to get her to stop pointing out the window to where Valiance was now grazing calmly and shrieking about talking horses. Georgette kindly corrected Linda ("He doth be a Pooka, m'lady…") which finally sent her mother into shocked, confused silence. Finally Toby fetched her a cup of peppermint tea from the kitchen and her mother cradled it in her hands and sipped at it.

She finished it, set it to the side and declared, "okay, Tobias Ann. Time to do some explaining…"

Verum practically skipped into the room, beaming as she waved that little twig of hers around. Toby thought it wasn't nearly big enough to be a proper wand – and were all wands really such knobby, common looking things?

"Please, allow me! Verily, I would love to tell the story."

Linda stared at her. "And you are…?"

"Verum, Tobias's fairy godmother."

"In-training," Tobias added dryly, still sitting next to her mother and rubbing her back in an effort to keep her from freaking out again.

"Well, yes. I am, however, a master story-teller. Let me explain what happened…" So with a fluff of oversized, sparkly skirts, she planted herself in a chair across from Linda. Toby noticed the little fairy was gone from her shoulder. Dominic must have heard Verum's statement, because he came in, Theo in tow.

"I'd like to hear what's going on as well."

He sat down, leaving Theo to lean against the wall next to the Knight. The dragon kept glancing at the Knight and grinning; for her part, Georgette ignored him. Apparently having 'defeated' him in the Mall meant she wasn't too concerned about smacking him down again.

"Once upon a time…" Verum started, and Toby groaned mentally. Her life was being turned into a fairy tale. They sat quietly as they listened to Verum recount how Toby had been crowned (how did she know about that, anyway?), how she'd met Theo (or that?), how Verum herself had bravely turned Theo into a dragon, how she'd asked the house to go back into place—

"It's alive?!" Linda burst out, straightening.

Verum blinked. "Oh, of course it is. It's such a good house.. Aren't you, House?" She reached over and patted the wall. The house gave a little shudder, accompanied by the creak of timbers and Toby got the impression of a cat fluffing up its fur and then settling down more comfortably.

Linda stared at Verum. "Toby…" she started.  
"Yeah Mom?"

"… did our house just purr?"

"I… guess you could call it that," Toby said. She was finding it much easier not to be freaked out while her mom was.

"It's… not going to try to… migrate or anything, is it?"

Verum tapped her lower lip thoughtfully, before beaming at Linda in that expression that Toby had come to think of as her 'ignorance indicator.' She always seemed to use it when she was truly living up to her Verily Vapid nickname. "I'm not sure!"

"Oh," Linda said, swallowing. "Proceed with the story…"

Verum's eyes went to the ceiling and she tapped her lower lip again in that now-familiar thinking gesture. Toby shook her head but didn't say anything as Verum found her train of thought, telling how they'd gone to the Mall (even though she hadn't been there) and then Georgette had shown up and beaten Theo up. Theo opened his mouth to object, but shut it when the fairy godmother-in-training twitched that little twig-wand at him in warning.

"And so Georgette ran off with Toby and we told everyone that it'd just been a publicity stunt for a new movie!" Verum concluded with a big smile.

"_I_ told them," Dominic corrected, folding his arms over his chest. Toby wondered if he was angry with her for not telling him immediately… she wouldn't be surprised. He was overprotective, sometimes.

"So… what happens to Toby now? Are these .. creatures going to continue showing up?"

"There hast nae been a Princess in a great many, many years, m'lady. Our people hath slept a great while. It doth nae be too surprising to find they seeketh the Princess out where e'er she doth dwell," Georgette said, calmly.

"Well that's nice for them, but what about my poor Toby? She has enough trouble fitting in at school as it is – those kids are horrible to her. She doesn't need stuff like this making her an even bigger target!" Toby was surprised at the anger in her mother's voice. She hadn't realized Linda had known just how bad things had gotten – of course. Dominic. She leaned forward and gave him the dirtiest look she knew how to give. He ignored her.

Verum's brow creased slightly, and she glanced to Toby before looking back at the girl's mother. "I… don't think that's going to be a problem," she said, very carefully.

"What do you mean?" Toby blurted.

"Well… we can't be sure that whomever or whatever took the other Princesses before the Sleep won't come after you, too, Princess… The best thing would be to take you immediately to the Fairy Court. That's the safest possible place for you," Verum replied calmly. Toby snorted.

"No offense, Verum, but if it or they or whatever could reach Rosalinde there, I don't consider it all that safe."

Verum frowned at Toby as Linda looked between the two of them. "Happened? What happened?"

Toby shrugged. "They don't know. She just disappeared."

"Well then it's final, Toby isn't going _anywhere_, certainly not somewhere that's so un-safe!"

"With the utmost possible respect, ma'am.. it's not your decision," Verum said gently. She looked over to Toby, and the brunette felt every set of eyes in the room do the same. She swallowed hard.

"So I have to choose between staying here and going to this Fairy Court?"

Verum nodded gently. "I can tell you that no matter where you are, our people are going to be seeking you out. It's inevitable. And now that you have your tiara, you're a full-fledged Princess. None of them mean you harm –"

"Except whomever or whatever made the other Princesses disappear," she said, reaching up and rubbing her finger over the tiara still sitting on her brow. She shook her head, then pulled it off, looking down at it. Dominic and her mother both jumped, Linda letting out a little gasp.

"Where'd that come from?"

Toby blinked at her mother. "This?" she asked, holding up the tiara. "It's… been on my head the entire time…"

"They can't see it," Theo said, grinning smugly at Dominic. "Non-magical creatures and people can only see it when it's on if you're in direct contact with another magical creature or near a large source of magical energy." Dominic's eyes narrowed at the dragon and Toby swore she saw sparks flying between the two of them.

"Well, if it's going to draw people to me, then I'm not going to wear it," Toby said, reasonably, and tossed the tiara onto the chair next to Verum.

Just as it touched the cushions of the seat, it disappeared, and Toby felt the sudden smooth press of silver against her forehead. She let out gasp, reaching out and feeling the tiara that was now sitting nicely around her head as if she'd never even taken it off. Verum just smiled that infuriating smile of hers.

"It's where it belongs, Princess. It's not going to just lie in some drawer collecting dust. It's not a normal tiara, after all."

"… so I noticed," Toby said, then sighed. "Look, I don't want to be your Princess. I didn't ask for any of this, and I certainly don't want to be dragged off to some weird land that I don't know anything about. If it's a choice between staying here and having to face Julie and Jenna who wish I would disappear, or going off away from everything I know closer to someone or something that's going to make me disappear forever, I'd rather stay here."

Verum glanced over at Georgette, and the two of them exchanged a glance that Toby knew meant something significant but couldn't quite read. Abruptly, the Knight scooped her helm up from where it was sitting on the kitchen table, then approached Toby.

Gracefully, she dropped to one knee in front of Toby and lifted the girl's hand to her lips, kissing the back of it. "We doth require our leave of thee, m'lady. Rest easily, we wilt return when thou hast need of us."

"Oh… okay. It was nice meeting you."

Georgette stood with a sweep of blonde hair, bowing to Linda respectfully, then strode out of the house.

"Where's she going?" Dominic asked.

Verum shrugged and wouldn't say anything more on the subject. Instead she turned to Toby, suddenly very serious.

"I will respect your wishes to stay here Princess, but I beg of you, please, let us protect you. Your life could be in danger – we have no way of knowing how this person or creature finds Princesses."

Toby sighed. "I'll make sure that I always have someone around me, Verum," she acquiesced, glancing over at Dominic.

"Not just anyone, Princess. It has to be myself, Theo, or Fizzybink. Those are the only fairy tale creatures we can trust right now, and we're the only ones who might be able to protect you should something happen." Toby caught Dominic frowning out of the corner of her eyes. He wouldn't like thinking he couldn't protect her. She knew him, she knew he was going to try anyway, even if he was completely out of his league.

"… Fizzybink? Who's Fizzybink?"

"A pompous, annoying little thing," Theo muttered, and Verum twitched her wand at him again. He folded his arms over his chest in a sulk and leaned back against the wall.

"The Prince of the Fairies. He prefers to be called 'Fiz', I believe." Verum's eyes glittered mischievously. "You've already met him. Twice, I believe."

"I have?" Toby's mind suddenly flashed back to the little winged man and she let out a little gasp. "He got me my paper at school, didn't he? And saved me in the Mall today…"

"Saved _you_?" Theo sputtered, then abruptly shut up when Verum (and everyone else) turned to look at him. Toby frowned, about to ask what he meant when suddenly Verum brushed her hands together briskly, standing up.

"Very well, if you wish to stay here, that is acceptable… for now, Princess. I must go report to the Fairy Queen, let her know what's happened. Fiz and I shall return as soon as things in the Court have been taken care of. Until then, Theodore, it's your responsibility to protect the Princess, and if you so much as _think_ about breathing fire…!"

"I know, I know," Theo muttered rebelliously. Verum nodded in satisfaction, then smiled to Linda and curtsied deeply to Toby. Toby was pretty sure that no matter how many people bowed and curtsied to her it'd feel weird every time someone did it.

"Until I return…!" She swished and flicked her wand and suddenly disappeared into a hundred tiny bubbles that drifted aimlessly in the air.

Dominic cleared his throat. "Well…"

"Yeah," Toby said, then stood up. "I'm going upstairs. You think this is weird for you guys, try being the object of their adoration."

"You're not even that good at being distressed," Theo pointed out, helpfully. Three people glared at him for his trouble and he shut up once more, not even making a peep as Toby walked past him to the stairs and headed upstairs to barricade herself in her room.


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: This story is completely original. All characters, settings, and events are spawned from my own mixed up little mind and may not be used, copied, or adapted without my express written permission. Do not steal my story!!!

**12.**

Sunday, strangely enough, started in an almost normal fashion. Toby's mother spent most of the morning on the couch pouring through fairy tale after fairy tale, and Dominic was nowhere to be found. Toby wondered over her bowl of cereal if he'd told his mother, too. It wasn't like this was that much of a secret; everyone at the mall had seen Theo and Georgette's little spat. It just seemed like not many people realized that it was _real_.

Theo poked at the cereal she offered, reluctantly taking his first bite. Then his eyes lit up and he gobbled it down, followed by a banana, two apples, six sausage links, ten pancakes, and a bowl of ice cream.

Apparently being the size of a human didn't mean he had the appetite of one.

Toby had then settled down to do her homework… easier said than done. Every time she tried to concentrate she found her mind wandering. Where had all the other Princesses gone? Who was trying to take away the only ones who kept the fairy tale land alive? And what was the Fairy Court like? She bet it was beautiful but alien, the way every new magical being who entered her life seemed to be. Even Theo was striking with his blue eyes and bright blue hair, and he'd been downright breathtaking in his dragon form.

How she got her homework done she wasn't sure, but at least by the end of the next hour or so she had an answer – a theoretically possible answer – down for each question. Good enough.

She wandered downstairs to find her mother baking a pie. Her mother had odd ways of relieving stress; one pie now meant that by the time Linda felt better they'd probably have enough baked goods to feed Theo for the next week. She glanced around for the dragon and found him snoring away on the couch. Toby shook her head. Some protector she had.

Her feet led her outside and a few minutes later she was perched on the back porch swing, looking out over her flowers.

Suddenly, a tiny little face was staring back at her.

She shrieked and nearly toppled off the swing before righting herself to find the fairy from yesterday hovering in midair and grinning at her. "… Fizzybink?" she ventured, cautiously.

"Yep!" He stuck his hand out as if to shake hers. "Just Fiz though, Princess. Fizzybink's too girly for me."

Toby looked at his hand and finally offered her pointer finger to very carefully shake Fiz's hand. He grabbed hold and pumped her finger up and down energetically and Toby was glad he was tiny, or he might have thrown her shoulder out.

"Where's Verum?"

"Probably still talking fashion with my sister, Sparklydink," Fiz said, resting his hands on his hips, while effortlessly floating mid-air. "Don't worry, Princess! I'll protect you from the evil trolls!"

"Trolls?"

"Of course! Trolls are only the most horrible and horrendous beings in the fairy tale world. They're probably the ones who made the other Princesses disappear. Their Queen, the Jade Lady, is a most vicious and cunning and cruel opponent! Why, I wouldn't be surprised if a whole troop of them were on their way right now! But don't worry, I'll protect you!"

"Verum didn't say anything about trolls!"

"Well, she's probably hoping that they won't notice you," Fiz said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "After all, as long as you don't cause any more big ruckuses like yesterday, they won't know where to find you."

Toby sighed and leaned back in the seat, regarding Fiz for a moment. He was tiny and absolutely the cutest thing she'd seen in ages, from his spring green hair to his sparkling translucent wings, to the way he put his tiny little fists on his hips and stuck his chest out like he thought he was the biggest strongest fighter in the world. She grinned at him. "I'm sure they'll be absolutely terrified of you, Fiz."

"That's right! I'm the Fairy Court's most fearsome warrior!" His chest puffed a bit further out and Toby couldn't help but giggle softly.

"Well, most fearsome warrior, do me one favor and try not to freak out my mom, okay? She's having a bit of a tough time coming to grips with all of this." She tapped her tiara for emphasis and the fairy looked very serious, nodding slowly. Toby resisted the urge to poke his cute little cheeks.

"It will be my pleasure, Princess! After all, the Fairy Court's most fearsome warrior knows when not to be seen!" With an oversized wink and nod, he suddenly disappeared in a little pop of sparkles.

Toby blinked, but a moment later felt a very slight, almost unnoticeable weight, settling down on her shoulder. "Grand," she replied.

Tomorrow was Monday, and she'd have to show up at school to maintain the illusion that everything was normal and her life hadn't been turned completely upside down. With an invisible fairy and a dragon-in-human-form in tow, she had the distinct feeling she was going to need more luck than could possibly exist to escape unscathed…


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: This story is completely original. All characters, settings, and events are spawned from my own mixed up little mind and may not be used, copied, or adapted without my express written permission. Do not steal my story!!!

13.

The moment Toby stepped into the school on Monday morning, complete with invisible tiara on her forehead and invisible fairy prince on her shoulder, she was the center of attention. As if on cue, everyone turned to look at her, a hush settling over the crowded hallway. She swallowed hard, steeling herself for yet another round of mocking, even as her stomach clench into a panicky knot.

"Why didn't you tell us that you were an actress?"

"Dude, can I be an extra on the set? That'd be so cool!"

"How did you make the fire disappear? That was so real, your special effects budget must be huge!"

"Does that one blue-haired guy really turn into a dragon?"

"When is it coming out?"

Toby stared, dumbfounded, at the babbling sea of faces surrounding her, feeling herself shrink back against the doorway. They kept talking, and she could feel panic welling up inside of her. She didn't know what they were talking about, much less how to deal with all of this... -good- attention. Almost as if sensing her panic, there was a sudden lightness on her shoulder as Fiz presumably took to wing. Great, just what she needed, an over-compensating fairy poking some kid's eye out.

"Hey, guys, give her some space." Dominic's voice cut through the cacophony around her, her eyes immediately -- and gratefully -- seeking his welcome face. He stepped through the crowd, glancing around at the gaggle of students. "They pulled a publicity stunt so obviously they want to build hype, but I doubt they'll let her talk about it. Okay? So leave her alone."

Toby tried to bore gratefulness through his back, watching as he effectively dispersed the crowd that had formed around her. She felt Fiz settle onto her shoulder again, breathing a quiet sigh of relief.

"Thanks," she said to Dominic. "You told them the mall was a publicity stunt?"

"Yeah. Just tell anyone who asks you can't talk because of your contract. It'll buy you some time at least," Dominic replied, without looking over at her. She frowned.

"Why are you being weird? Are you mad at me?"

Those brilliant blue eyes of his snapped to her, but not to meet her eyes. Instead, he stared at her forehead, as if willing the tiara that hid there to reveal itself.

"_I'm_ not the one being weird."

Toby watched in stunned disbelief as he turned on his heel, weaving into the crowd of students. As she was standing there, staring, the bell rang and the students began making their way towards their lockers. A light hand touched her cheek, Fiz's voice barely audible over the noise. "Princess?"

She mentally shook her head, inhaling. Today was going to stink. "I'm fine. Let's get to class. Well," she paused, smiling faintly. "I'm going to get to class. You stay quiet and try not to get me into trouble."

"Why Princess, I'd never--" he started, interrupted by her chuckle as she headed to class.

By the time lunch came around, however, she was sick of the stares and the constant questions. It seemed recently she'd been unable to escape the spotlight, first as the school mockery, and now as the school overnight celebrity. She didn't like either. She liked her anonymity. It was quieter and far less stressful. So when the lunch bell rang, the cafeteria was the last place she wanted to be. Instead she headed to the one place she knew no one would ever think to look for her -- the indoor pool.

Letting the door fall shut behind her, she dropped her bag on the bench next to the door, flopping to a seat. Fiz fluttered into view in front of him, tilting his head in an absolutely adorable fashion. It made her think of a kitten cocking its head.

"Are you all right Princess? Perhaps we should go home."

"No," Toby said with a sigh, leaning back against the wall. "You remember what Verum said. The trolls know there's a Princess here somewhere. They'll be looking for anyone who suddenly breaks their routine, disappears, or goes into hiding. The best thing for me to do is act completely.. normal." Toby nearly laughed at the word.

Fiz 'hmph'ed, sticking his tiny fists on his tiny hips. "Don't worry, Princess! Those trolls don't stand a chance against the Fairy Court's strongest warrior!"

Toby couldn't help it; she laughed. The crestfallen expression on Fiz's face, however, immediately made her regret her outburst. "Sorry. I do trust you, honest. It's just that.. well..."

The sound of one of the doors being opened immediately drew both of their attentions, and Fiz blinked into invisibility, leaving Toby peering at the young woman who stepped through the door. She wasn't a highschool student, she seemed too old. College student, maybe? She was tall and willowy, with long, grey-black hair and huge aqua-blue eyes. There was a strange sort of awkwardness to how she moved, however, like someone compensating for new shoes.

Her big blue eyes locked on Toby's hazel ones. "Am I interupting?" her voice bubbled up, as rhythmic as waves rippling on the shore.

"Uh... no. I was just... uh... talking to myself."

"I see," the woman said, approaching Toby. She suddenly dropped to her knees in front of the younger girl, reaching out with one finger and lightly touching the center of Toby's forehead. Toby inhaled sharply when she felt -- rather than saw -- the tiara appear on her brow. The young woman didn't seem to notice the fright flooding onto Toby's face, instead staring at the crystal sparkling in the dim flourescent light.

"So it's true. You _are_ a Princess."

"Who are you?! Get away from my Princess!" Fiz suddenly flared into life, zipping between the kneeling woman and Toby.

The woman laughed, holding up a hand to fend off the tiny, irate little man. "Peace, Fairy Lord. I am one of your people. My name is Abbie."

Fiz paused, tilting his head at her scrutinizingly. "Oh?"

She nodded, then rose from her knees to sit down on the bench next to Toby. Those big blue eyes, rippling like the moon's reflecting in a pool, stared at Toby's tiara for a moment, a longing in her eyes so intense that it made Toby's heart ache for Abbie. "Yes. Though a cruel and foolish mortal has doomed me to walk these lands for a very, very long time."

"Selkie!" Fiz gasped suddenly. "He stole your skin?"

Abbie's eyes were so full of sadness Toby had to resist the urge to hug her. "I made the mistake a long time ago of falling in love with a mortal man. I used to watch him from the waters as he worked by the shore, mending his nets, casting them out. I drove the fish into them, just to see the happiness on his face. Finally, one day, I worked up my nerve. I slipped from the waters, shed my skin, and approached him."

She lowered her gaze to her hands, a ripple of that thick, dark-grey hair cascading over her shoulder. It was seal-grey, Toby realized, and her eyes were sea-green. Selkies, Toby remembered, the knowledge coming from.. somewhere. Seal-people who could shed their skin to take a humanoid form. They only lived in the deepest, coldest waters, far in the north. She must have been wandering for so long... "It was my mistake. When I awoke the next morning, he had hidden my skin, stranding me on land forever. No matter how much I begged, how much I pleaded, he wouldn't tell me where it was. When he died, taking the secret with him, I knew there was only one way I could return to my home. I had to find a Princess."

Toby swallowed as suddenly the woman was staring at her again. "But by the time I journeyed from that cold, distant shore, the Princesses had gone into hiding. I traveled to the Fairy Court, to Avalon, to make my plea, but the Fairy Queen would not grant my request for an audience. Then, Rosalinde was gone, and so was my last hope."

The Selkie suddenly grabbed Toby's hand, clenching it in hers almost desperately. "Please, Princess. I have been on land, separated from my home, my heart, for nearly three hundred years. Please, I know that using your power is dangerous, but I am so desperate. You are my only hope to finally return home. Will you help me?"

Toby dropped her gaze, feeling shame and guilt flush her cheeks. "I... I don't know how... I'm.. I'm a new Princess. I have no magic."

"Yes you do," Abbie said, her voice full of quiet urgency. "Kiss me."

Toby jerked her hand back. "_What?_"

"You are a Princess! There isn't anything your Kiss can't cure! Please, just a peck..."

Toby glanced between Fiz and Abbie, wildly. "You can't be serious...!"

"She's right, Princess," Fiz said, helpfully. "The Kiss of a Princess can break any curse. It's Old Magic, deeper and greater than anything any magical creature or magical user can conjure."

"... you're a girl," Toby finally pointed out. The Selkie blushed faintly.

"I know, I'm sorry. If there were any Princes left, I'd ask them, but they disappeared along with the Princesses... But please, Princess. Think of how you would feel, forever being so close but never being allowed to return home, ignorant of whether your family is still alive, what hardships they've faced, what joys they've celebrated..."

Toby bit her lower lip, thinking of her mother, of Dominic, of her house and her pansies. The thought of enduring what the Selkie had for hundreds of years... Toby couldn't imagine it. She sighed. "All right. Fine. But just a peck."

The smile that Abbie gave her was so full of relief and happiness that Toby couldn't regret agreeing to it. She closed her eyes, holding still, and Toby eyed her for a moment before sighing. Leaning forward, she pressed a quick, light kiss to the woman's lips before she could chicken out, then sat back, expecting nothing to happen.

Boy was she wrong.

The woman's hair whipped in a breeze that Toby could not feel nor make sense of. Her edges began to sparkle, like light glinting off of freshly fallen snow, but in myriad rainbow colors. Her skin began to darken, her nose flattening, face becoming less like a human's and more like a seal's. She stood, her clothes melting into her body, which streamlined, and as she walked to the pool her hands became paddles, her legs fusing together. As her feet disappeared into flippers she lowered her head and slipped seamlessly into the pool.

She was the most beautiful seal Toby had ever seen, her skin the color of dark, molten silver, her eyes two huge, blue pools. The cry of delight that barked from her throat was at once alien and completely familiar, and she raced through the depths of the pool, twisting and flipping, leaping out of the water only to splash back in. Toby was sure she'd never seen anyone so completely and utterly happy as the Selkie was in that moment.

Abbie stilled, her head emerging from the water as she turned to look at Toby and Fiz. Thank you, Princess. Her voice blossomed in Toby's mind much the way Theodore's had, but instead of reminding her of horns and trumpets it reminded her of the tinkle of seashells, the soft whisper of water lapping at rocks. It was gentle and joyous.

"Er... You're... You're welcome."

"Go awaken your people," Fiz said from over her shoulder, his voice brimming with confidence. "We have a Princess again! It's time for them to wake up, time for everyone to wake up!"

The Selkie let out a chitter of delight, turning a slow circle on her stomach. Water beaded on her whiskers, glinting as they quivered in a sealish laugh.

_Oh. I will tell everyone. This is a joyous day, and not just for myself._

Toby cleared her throat, nervously. "Um... not to be a raincloud, but... i how /i are you going to get home? You're in a pool..." She gestured at the four walls and floor of the pool. It couldn't have been more than ten feet deep at the deepest place. Certainly not fit for a seal, even a magical one.

_Princess, you have much to learn,_ Abbie laughed in her head. She ducked until the water, waving her flippers in the air before sliding to the bottom of the pool. She gazed up at Toby through the layers of water, eyes shining. _For a child of the Sea, all waters lead home._

"What..." Toby began, but cut off when the seal began to swim circles near the base of the pool. The water began to swirl, following the Selkie's motion, the center of the forming vortex darkening. The seal spun faster; so did the water, until a deep, almost black apex was formed. Abbie's head broke the water and she gazed up at Toby.

_Farewell, Princess. I will see you again!_

She flipped over and dove into the center of the vortex, the flash of a deep grey tail like one last goodbye wave. Toby leaped to her feet, crossing to the pool and gazing down at the water as slowly it began to calm, the bottom of the pool appearing. There was nothing left, no trace of the magical seal, or sign that anything out of the ordinary had happened. Toby leaned over, peering at the bottom of the pool, a faint smile sliding to her lips. It was the first thing that had happened to her as a Princess that had actually been pretty cool...

"Oh. My. God."

Toby's head snapped up and over to see Julie standing in the doorway, staring at her. The blonde took a step forward, pointing at Toby, then at the pool, then at her.

"Oh. My. God!!"


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: This story is completely original. All characters, settings, and events are spawned from my own mixed up little mind and may not be used, copied, or adapted without my express written permission. Do not steal my story!!!

(( Author's Note: Thank you to beyondrandom for catching a bit of a plot whoopsie I made in this story. :D I -had- it all correct in my head, but then sometime between planning it and writing it I fudged it up a little bit. Thanks again for pointing that out! I appreciate feedback like that, so don't ever be afraid to go "Um, did you make a booboo?" or anything like that. And if you're not comfortable putting up reviews here, you can always email me at kokkei. I love hearing from people. :)

The other issue is the telepathic speech of Theo in Chaps 4 and 5 (or was it 5 and 6? meh) and Abbie in 13. I've kept trying to put symbols on either end, because I don't want to just italicize it, but for whatever reason uploading them makes them disappear. Oh well. Later tonight I'm going to just go through and italicize all of it, at least that way it'll be somewhat clear what Theo/Abbie is saying. Thanks for your willingness to read through the chapters, even when they're confusing! ))

14.

"Oh. My. God!"

"Julie, it's-- it's not--" Toby began, desperately, but the blonde cut her off.

"Where did she go? That other girl -- that... that _seal_? What did you do with her? Did you... did you _kill_ her?"

Toby's eyes widened. "What?! No! That's not-- It's--"

Julie crossed to the pool, leaning over to stare down at the water. Then she cast about wildly, looking for the woman she'd just seen or the seal or something that would explain what she'd just witnessed. She found nothing, however, then turned on her heel, pointing at Toby with a shaky finger. Toby hoped desperately that Fiz had gone invisible; she didn't want to try explaining a tiny floating man to Julie too.

"You are such a freak! I saw her, I know I saw her! I don't know _what_ you did, or how, but I'm going to tell _everyone_ -- the police, the principal, your mother...! I don't know what's wrong with you but you've gone _way_ too far with this whole princess thing!" Her eyes swept up to Toby's forehead. "_Including_ your... tiara."

Toby slapped her hands over the silver band, cursing the fact she didn't know how to make it disappear, though that might have made things even worse. "Julie, listen to me. It's not what you think. It's ... It's real. She was a Selkie, a seal-fairy, she was just going home..."

"A _Seal-fairy_?" Julie replied, astonished, and stared at Toby for a moment. Then she shook her head. "This is ridiculous. Give me that stupid thing right now...!"

She stepped forward, yanking one of Toby's hands away from her tiara, then reached up to jerk it off Toby's forehead. Fizzybink appeared in mid-yell -- "NO!"

There was a sudden pulse of light, and the concrete floor underneath their feet cracked. Julie's scream echoed throughout the pool room as thick, green vines shot from the crack, wrapping around her and lifting her off of her feet. Toby stumbled back, looking up and staring in shock as the vines gripped Julie, the thorns ripping her clothes and leaving angry red lines along her skin.

"Fiz!! Do something!!"

More cracks were appearing all over, vines creeping out of the cracks and wrapping around the benches, climbing up the walls and along the floor. Toby got to her feet as Fiz raced up, drawing a sword that was far too tiny to do any good. He swiped, and a clean cut formed along the vines, dropping Julie to the ground.

Toby scrambled to her, yanking at the vines, trying to free the blonde as even more vines began to crack the walls, breaking them and the floor apart.

"Fiz make it stop!!" she cried desperately, getting Julie to her feet as the blonde screeched, "what is going on?!"

"I can't!" Fiz yelled back, slicing at vines with his sharp toothpick, keeping them at bay. "It's the tiara! We can't stop it, we need to get out of here before it encases everything!"

Toby clawed at the tiara, jerking it from her head and throwing it across the room. It disappeared right before it hit the floor, a second later reappearing on Toby's forehead. The brunette felt irritation claw at her stomach as she pulled Julie's arm over her shoulder. "Let's get out of here, then!"

Vines were crawling up the walls, sending cracks racing across the walls and cielings, chunks of concrete raining down around them. Toby could hear students yelling, first in confusion then in growing alarm. She cast about, searchingly. "Fiz! Pull the fire alarm! Now!"

"The what?"

Julie lurched away from Toby, grabbing the lever and yanking it down. An ear-splitting screech echoed through the halls, the fire alarm lights flashing as well. Toby couldn't help but smile at Julie, feeling the first sliver of good-will towards the blonde as she pulled Julie's arm over her shoulder again.

"Come on," she said, the zipping fairy prince defending their stumbled exit through the halls. They joined the surprisingly calm mass of students filing out of the building, most of them still thinking that it was just another fire drill. Once they exited the building, however, that relative calm turned into pure chaos. Students were standing on the lawn across the street, staring as vines crept out windows, along walls, bursting out of the roof on their way to slowly and completely encasing the two-story brick building. Teachers, completely flustered and obviously at a loss, tried to get the students to keep moving, to get away from the building being consumed by plants, to stop taking pictures and _get to a safe distance._

Toby, Julie in tow and Fairy zipping about her shoulders, made a beeline for the school nurse, Miss Bell. Miss Bell took one look at Julie and let out a gasp, immediately going to assist her. "What hap...pen...ed..."

Toby blinked at her, then followed her gaze to the tiny gold-and-green man now standing on Toby's shoulder. Fiz was looking pretty smug, cleaning his shiny toothpick off with a rather satisfied air. At the silence, he looked up, to find three people all staring at him. "Oh!" he said, then disappeared from sight.

Miss Bell let out a scream, then fell over in a dead faint.

"Sorry," Fiz said, still invisible.

"We really need to work on that," Toby said through gritted teeth, not daring to even look at Julie as she helped the blonde over to the fence that separated the parking lot from the front lawn. Julie sank onto the wooden log gratefully, looking up at Toby. Toby avoided those eyes, instead taking stock of Julie's wounds. Thankfully none of them seemed too serious, though there was one on the side of her stomach that was bleeding rather profusely.

Toby pulled off her sweatshirt, wrapping it around Julie's waist. Pressure preventing passing-out. For once, she was almost glad her mother had made her take that emergency first aid course.

"So... You were serious," Julie said, looking past Toby to the school building. The brunette glanced over her shoulder, flinching at the sight of the vines that were now creeping from every window, wrapping the brick building up in a very vine-y wrapping paper.

"Yeah..." Toby replied.

"And... the mall?"

"Yeah."

"... he really is a dragon? If he was turned human, how can he still breathe fire?" Toby paused at that question, then looked up at Julie. The barest hint of a smile tugged at the corner of her mouth.

"I've been told it's because he's 'still a dragon'," Toby replied, dryly. Julie laughed, and Toby did too. Then they paused, lapsing into the awkward silence of not really knowing how far this new companionship extended. Toby finished tying the sweatshirt, then stood up, sitting down on the fence next to Julie.

"It's gone," Julie said suddenly, surprised, her eyes on Toby's forehead.

"Yeah. It was only visible because I'd just touched the Seal-fairy."

"And that," Julie nodded at the school, though Toby knew instantly what she meant, "is because I tried to pull it off?"

"I... I don't know," Toby admitted.

"Yes," said Fiz's voice from somewhere between them. Julie started, but Toby was getting pretty used to it by now. "It's part of the whole Princess thing. If someone or something threatens you -- and your tiara is part of you, now -- the magic inherent in you being a Princess will react to protect you. That's why it was so important that I absorb the fire in the mall. Otherwise, the magic would have gone crazy to protect you, probably destroyed that building, too..."

"Great," Toby muttered. "It's not bad enough that there're trolls out there who're trying to make me disappear forever, or that my house is alive, but now I have to make sure I stay out of danger or risk summoning a giant shrubbery. This is great. Just great. My life is a freakshow and I just destroyed the freaking school building." Her head sank into her hands with a groan.

"Well," Julie said. "I always knew you were a freak."

Toby looked up at her. Julie was smiling at her. Actually smiling, and not in a mean way. Toby laughed softly. "So glad I didn't disappoint."

"Besides, this is great! It's like a snow day, only..." Julie tilted her head at the building, which was no completely encased in vines. Students, teachers, and even passers-by who'd stopped were staring at it, taking pictures and talking up a storm. "Greener."

"Just call me Princess of the Shrubbery," Toby muttered, and this time both Julie and Fiz laughed.


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: This story is completely original. All characters, settings, and events are spawned from my own mixed up little mind and may not be used, copied, or adapted without my express written permission. Do not steal my story!!!

(( Sorry about how long this one is, I couldn't find a good point to break it up. ))

15.

"You look so hungry, you poor child. Have you been wandering this forest all alone...? Oh, poor dear..." The old woman reached out and stroked the younger woman's hand, sympathetically, black eyes glittering over a hooked nose. She smiled to the old lady, gently pulling her hand back.

"Oh, no, I'm fine..."

"But you look so hungry," the woman pressed. She reached into her covered basket, pulling from its depths a red, juicy looking apple. The young woman's eyes widened, filling with the sight of the crimson orb, and she thought to herself just how there had never been a more perfect, more delicious looking apple in the entire world. She _was_ pretty hungry...

"Oh... I shouldn't..."

The old woman held the apple even closer. "Just a bite, my love... Just a single bite and you'll see how delicious and succulent it is. Can't you imagine its sweet juices against your tongue? Just a bite will make you so happy..."

The younger woman reaches out, tentatively framing the apple with her hands, cupping the smooth orb in her palms. She stared down at it. "Well... maybe just a bite..." The old woman nodded furiously, watching with beady, glittering eyes as the young woman raised it to her lips, which parted to take a bite of it.

"That's it... Just a bite, and all your woes will be over..." She leaned forward, watching with now-undisguised glee as the young woman bit down. Her entire body went rigid, her big eyes flying open again as the taste exploded against her tongue, not of sweet fruit, but of bitter poison. The old woman began cackling, ripping her hood back, her white hair flying in the breeze as the apple fell from the young woman's hand, rolling into the dirt.

The young woman stared at the crone in shock. "It's... It's _you._ But... but we _trusted_ yo..ou..." Then her eyes rolled back in her head and she crumpled to the ground, lifeless. The shadow of the old lady fell over her as the wrinkled woman bent to make sure the deed was finished, holding her hand to those full red lips.

Satisfied, she reached out and scooped up the apple, her face twisted with malicious delight.

"Stupid child. Your kind isn't needed in this world... I'll see to that." She held the apple up, her wrinkles melting away, face smoothing into a younger one. The apple seemed to glow, illuminating eyes that were as crimson as it was, cold and hard as rubies. Laughter chased itself across that face as she turned, pulling her hood up over her head.

"I'll see to it our world is reborn... Princess-less." Her form shuddered with laughter again, red eyes boring into the darkness, boring right into Toby's head.

Toby screamed, jerking herself away from those eyes that seemed to stare right into her, tumbling out of bed and onto the floor. She righted herself frantically, combing her fingers through her hair to get it out of her face. Her back hit the edge of the bed and she finally stilled, her chest heaving, sheets tangled around her feet.

She couldn't shake the sound of that laughter.

Closing her eyes, she groaned and let her head fall back against the mattress behind her. Just great, she couldn't even escape this fairy tale stuff in her dreams. She'd never been one to dream, but ever since Georgette had placed the tiara on her forehead, they'd been getting clearer and clearer... and the feeling of someone watching her, lurking in the shadows, had only gotten keener.

Just what Toby needed.

She sighed and pushed herself to her feet, grabbing her sweatshirt. Her glasses glinted at her from the desk but she ignored them. Apparently being crowned a Princess cured far-sightedness, because Toby had discovered a day ago that she could see perfectly without them. At least something nice had come out of this whole mess. Pulling her sweatshirt on, she pushed the door open, slipping out of the oppressive confines of her room and down the stairs. The house rumbled slightly, as if questioning what she was doing up so late at night, and she hissed at it to be quiet. It was.

Her fingers found the screen door and she slipped out into the cool night air, pausing for a moment to regret her lack of forethought as the chill hit her bare feet. So she sat down on the swinging chair, pulling her pajama legs down over her feet and hugging her knees to her chest.

"You really like it out here, don't you?"

She nearly fell off the chair in shock at Theo's voice, looking up to see him standing on the grass just off the porch, his blue eyes glowing slightly in the darkness, gently whorling. She snorted, wrapping her arms around her legs. "It's quiet and peaceful. And I can keep an eye on my pansies."

Theo grinned. "I see." She looked out over the garden again, aware that his eyes were still on her. The moments stretched out in silence before he finally cleared his throat, looking down at his toes. "So... vines, eh?"

Toby groaned, burying her face in her lap. "Do you _have_ to remind me?" It'd been three days since Julie had tried to grab her tiara, and the authorities were calling the weird incident a 'natural phenomenon that as of yet has to be explained.' All Toby knew is they didn't have school and she hadn't ventured out of the house. She hadn't seen Julie either, not since her mother had shown up, nearly gone white over the scratches on her daughter's skin, and dragged her off to the emergency room.

"Sorry. But that's actually a good thing... sort of," Theo said, climbing the steps to sit down next to her. She eyed him.

"Please, do enlighten me as to how turning my school into an oversized Chia Pet is a good thing."

He chuckled, and Toby could hear the echo of the trumpets she heard when he spoke in her head in the sound. "Each Princess's defense mechanism takes a different form, depending on their personality and strengths. Some turn things into stone, some might summon things like bees or horses, who knows. One Princess had the unfortunate defense mechanism of turning everyone around her into ducks."

"_Ducks_?" 

"Yeah. Imagine how much kissing she had to do to get everyone back to normal." They both laughed at that, then lapsed into a silence that, to Toby, felt strangely comfortable.

"What was Rosalinde's?" she asked, suddenly.

Theo looked at her in surprise, then smiled faintly. "Roses."

"Big surprise there," Toby said with a shake of her head. Rosalinde got roses and all Toby got were vines? That just figured. "Just another example of what a mistake of a Princess I am."

"Don't say that," Theo replied, so angrily that Toby looked up at him in surprise. "You are _not_ a mistake. You're... You're great."

Toby blinked at him for a long minute, then, unexpectedly, found her cheeks feeling hot. Theo tore his gaze from hers, staring out over the gardens again as if embarrassed by his outburst. Toby shifted. "Well... thanks. I'm glad you think that."

Theo just nodded, and they fell into silence again. Toby let her chin rest on her knees, hugging his words to herself quietly. At least someone didn't think she was a total mess-up. She was sure Fiz thought she was an idiot for letting her defense mechanism get activated, and who knew what Verum thought, though Toby privately wondered how someone could be that nice without being really horrible on the inside.

"Are you... are you really so upset about being a Princess? You seem so.. unhappy here," Theo said, and Toby stiffened defensively.

"I'm not. I'm happy."

"Really? Because it doesn't seem like it. You don't have any friends except that boy, you spend most of your time in your garden, and you ... you don't open up. To anyone, not even to that boy. That doesn't seem to be very happy to me." His whorling blue eyes were staring at her quietly, scrutinizingly. She stared resolutely at anything that wasn't him, not answering him. After a long moment of silence, he sighed. "You don't realize just what you mean to our people," he said, finally, his voice strangely soft. He looked out over the garden, contemplative. "Think of what it meant to Abbie, to be able to go home after a hundred years of being trapped on land. Think of what it means to Georgette, to finally have someone to protect, instead of wasting her talents on nothing. And to Verum, who finally has a chance to prove she's more than just the mess-up apprentice of a missing Fairy Godmother."

"How flattering. I already know what I mean to you -- so glad I could relieve your centuries of boredom," Toby snapped, rolling her eyes. Theo frowned at her.

"You don't have the first idea what you mean to me, Toby," he said, in a voice so soft that it made the brunette look over at him in surprise. "You have no idea what my world is like, where I've come from... what a Princess could mean to me. What a friend could mean to me."

Toby stared at him as he looked down at his hands, a furrow in his brow as he continued speaking. "Finding you... it was my one chance to do something right, to actually take part in the Story like it's supposed to go. All my life I've been on the outskirts, unwanted. Coming here... I mean, it hasn't exactly worked out like I thought..." He held up his human hands and looked at them with faint amusement. "... but... you don't treat me like the outcast I've always been. And I know how you feel, Toby. How trapped you can feel by everything around you... How trapped you can feel by who you are."

He looked up at her, smiling slightly. "I think you're great, just as you are. I hope you realize that soon, too." Toby found herself smiling as well. She couldn't help it, she believed every word he said. There was just such honesty in his eyes, and Toby felt an odd sort of connection to him.

"Thanks, Theo," she said softly, reaching out and resting one of her hands on top of his. Surprise flitted across his face, replaced by happiness.

"Toby, I--"

"Ahem." Verum didn't clear her throat, she literally just said "ahem," but it was enough to make them both startle in surprise and look over at her. The glittering young woman was standing on the porch, silly little twig in hand, and her gaze was... well, disapproving, to say the least. "Don't you have some trees to be guarding, Theo dear?" she asked, very pointedly, and Toby saw the blue-haired young man stiffen out of the corner of her eyes.

"Yeah," he said, then stood and stalked off the porch. Toby watched him go, confusion furrowing her brow. She looked up at Verum.

"What was that all about? We were just talking."

"Princess..." Verum sighed, moving around to sit on the swing where Theo had just been. She reached out, putting her hands over Toby's. "Theo is... Theo is very nice. But you _must_ be careful around him. Don't let your guard down around him, no matter how much you sympathize with him. And certainly do _not_ develop any sort of feelings for him."

"What? Are you saying I can't be friends with Theo?" Toby asked, jerking her hands out from underneath Verum's.

The fairy godmother-in-training sighed softly. "You don't understand. He's a dragon. He might be a particularly nice specimen of a dragon, but dragons themselves are violent, evil creatures. They don't make friends with Princesses -- they hunt them down and eat them. That's just what they do. There are no nice dragons in the world... they're dangerous, especially as they grow older. Theo's young right now, but as he grows older that violence inherent in his very being is only going to grow more pronounced, to the point where I doubt even he will be able to handle it. Dragons are beings of fire and steel -- two things that can only destroy. It's just their nature."

"You're saying you think Theo's going to _hurt_ me?"

"Not intentionally. I believe he honestly wishes to live up to his foster mother's expectations. But I'm saying he is who he is, and there will come a day where he can't control himself, just like you can't control the Princess magic from protecting you when there's a threat."

Toby got to her feet, angry for so many reasons. Here was Verum, telling her that one of the people who'd been nicest to her might one day try and kill her. "I don't believe it. I _won't_ believe it. Theo's a good person -- dragon or not. And I won't push him away just because of the rest of his kind. I just won't."

Verum sighed softly. "Toby..."

"It's Princess to you," Toby spat, and stalked off the porch, into the darkness. The grass was cold and wet against her bare feet, dew collecting and wettening her pajama pants, but she didn't care. She was just so angry, so betrayed, it made her stomach twist into angry knots. How _dare_ Verum tell her such terrible things about Theo? How could he be such a horrible being? He was over-exuberant, sure, and annoying and head-strong and a terrible pain in the butt, but when he looked at her it was always with a smile, and when Toby was with him it was always.. comfortable. She just couldn't believe that that was wrong.

She paused on the edge of the small pond, picking up several stones. Flicking her wrist, she skipped it across the smooth surface, counting three hops before it disappeared into the darkness of the night. She sighed. This was all so complicated...

A rustle behind her made her look over her shoulder with a frown. "Theo? Verum?" she called, looking over the bushes. There was no response, just silence. Unease trickled down her back like cold water. "Hey! Who's there? Show yourself right now!" she yelled, gripping the remaining stones in her hand tightly.

Suddenly a hand closed around her upper arm. She turned, staring right into the most hideous, the most alien face she'd ever seen. A low, heavy brow partially obscured eyes that were black and dark as the inky sky so far above them. They viewed her with a detached curousity, large ears like a donkey's but laid back twitching as if in thought. He -- if it was even a he -- had coarse hair, spiked up in a mohawk, beads, feathers, and other knicknacks woven into the braids that dotted it as it tumbled down his back. He was hunched over; if he straightened he would easily have made eight feet tall. He raised one thick finger to scratch at the side of his mouth, two thick tusks protruding from between his thick lips.

"Princess," the troll muttered, and Toby realized that her tiara had sprung into visiblity, cool against her brow.

Toby inhaled and then screamed as loud as she could. The troll flinched and Toby screamed again and again. "Stop Princess stop noise is loud is hurting is bad stop!" the troll blubbered, releasing her and fumbling back. Toby stumbled back, screaming again, the dew soaking her pants.

Fire burst from the bushes, lighting up the night air. The troll flung an arm up, part of the ground detaching itself and forming a wall that scattered the fire harmlessly. The troll took one last look at Toby, who was desperately panting for breath and preparing to scream again, and turned and fled into the darkness with a loping, slow gait.

Theo was hot on the heels of his fireball, skidding to a stop protectively in front of Toby. He stared into the darkness with blue eyes that were whirling agitatedly, then turned and knelt in front of Toby. "Toby..." he said, looking over her with obvious concern.

"I'm okay," Toby said with a smile. Fiz rocketed into view, sparkling dimly even in the darkness, and Toby wondered if all fairy tales creatures came with built in glow-in-the-dark features.

"Where is it? What is it? I'll protect you, Princess!" he said, whipping that tiny toothpick of a sword around in search of the danger. Toby laughed, taking Theo's hand and getting to her feet, even as Verum, followed by Toby's mother, still pulling her housecoat on, came into view.

"It's okay," she repeated. "It's gone."

Verum shot Theo a look that Toby couldn't quite decipher, and the dragon stepped away from Toby, folding his arms over his chest and looking away. Toby felt anger stir inside of her, but then her mother was hugging her tightly, babbling about her poor little baby and how she was so sorry.

"Troll?" Verum asked Theo, and the dragon nodded. Verum inhaled. "Then that's that. They know who and where you are now, Princess. I'm sorry, but you have to leave. This place isn't safe."

Toby swallowed hard against the lump in her throat. "... okay," she finally said. "But not because I'm afraid. Because I don't want to get anyone else hurt. I nearly got Julie killed, and if it had been a band of trolls instead of just one, Mom would be in danger. I can't take that chance."

"Very wise, Princess," Fiz commented with a bright smile.

"You're not going tonight, either way. You'll go tomorrow, after you've had a good breakfast and a chance to pack. I doubt the trolls will be back that soon," Toby's mother said, determinedly, holding herself rather well despite the fact she was obviously upset at the idea of her daughter leaving. Toby smiled and hugged her.

"All right. Tomorrow, then."

"Yes. Fiz, go ahead to the Court and tell them that the Last Princess in the land of Believe will be arriving tomorrow. Tell them to be ready to receive her," Verum instructed and Fiz snapped to a sharp salute.

"Right!" And then he zipped off into the night sky, leaving Toby's mom hugging her tightly and Verum doing rapid mental calculations as to how many bubbles it would take to carry them all off or something like that. Toby leaned into her mother, gazing past her mother's arm at the blue-haired boy who was still staring off into the darkness.


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: This story is completely original. All characters, settings, and events are spawned from my own mixed up little mind and may not be used, copied, or adapted without my express written permission. Do not steal my story!!!

(( Sorry for the long break. The holiday season's been kinda insane. ))

16.

The next day was sunny and as close to perfect as a late spring day got. Toby was sure the universe was quietly laughing at her. The house's annoyed creaking had woken her up and she'd descended the stairs to find her mother obsessively cleaning everything, something she only did when upset about something. Toby didn't have to ask what she was upset about.

"I'm going to Dom's," she announced to the fairy godmother-in-training sitting at the kitchen table. Verum looked up over the rim of her cup of tea, her amethyst eyes calculating just how serious Toby was. With Fiz still at the castle, Georgette who knew where, and papers spread across the table in front of her, Verum didn't have much of a choice. So, reluctantly, she nodded.

"Take Theo with you."

Toby didn't object, just headed out the door with the dragon-turned-human a few steps behind. She wondered, angrily, if Verum had said something to Theo, because he didn't say a single world on the walk to Dominic's. It was a walk Toby normally enjoyed; his house was further down the country road, over an ancient wooden bridge, then along an unnecessarily winding and twisting driveway. Theo followed her silently, hands in his pockets.

Toby couldn't figure out what to say to him, so she didn't say anything.

Finally, they were there, and she climbed the porch to the door, mentally smiling at the familiar, protesting squeak of the old wooden boards. She raised her hand to knock, blinking when the door swung open before she could even touch it. She stared at the pretty blonde who'd ground to a halt just inside the door.

"Julie?"

"Toby! Err.. hi!" Dominic appeared behind Julie, his pale blue eyes flicking between the two girl's. Toby's gaze snapped to him, quietly and rather intensely demanding a reason for this. One instance of Julie being decent to her didn't convince the brunette that that goodwill would endure, and it certainly didn't mean she wanted to talk to the blonde any more than absolutely necessary. Dom's recent cold treatment of her only intensified her anxiety about Julie's presence.

"I'll call you later," Dom said to Julie. Toby felt as if he'd slapped her. He'd never just.. brushed her off like that before.

"Oh, uh, sure," Julie said, glancing between the two of them. "Nice seeing you, Toby. See you, Dom." She slipped past Toby, descending the stairs hurriedly. She glanced over at Theo, who was watching Dom with all the sharpness of a cat's ready gaze. Casting one last look over her shoulder, she turned and hurried off down the road.

Toby stared at Dom. "Why was _she_ here?"

"I don't think that's any of your business," Dom snapped.

"What is _wrong_ with you?! You've turned into a total jerk! Why are you so pissed at me?!" Toby's voice sounded tinny and high-pitched in her ears. Oh god, she was about to start crying.

"Nothing," Dominic replied stiffly.

"_Nothing_? You've hardly spoken to me since this whole mess began, and now you're hanging out with the girl who terrorized me for years and I'm supposed to believe it's _nothing_? Give me a break!" Toby snorted derisively.

Dom glared – not at her, but past her – at Theo. Toby half-expected to see sparks flying. "Shocked you missed me, what with a dragon to do your bidding now." Toby gritted her teeth against the urge to shake that stupid sulk off of Dom's face, hearing Theo hiss softly in draconic warning behind her.

"Fine. Be a sulky child. I just came to tell you the Trolls who I am now, so before they can mount an invasion and probably kill me and destroy everything, I'm leaving for the Fairy Court. Have fun with Julie," Toby said, voice thick with frustration. She turned on her heel, and without even a good-bye or a glance over her shoulder, she strode down the steps and away from her best friend. The dragon fell into step next to her, though not without shooting Dom one last dirty look.

Theo didn't say anything, but it was strangely comforting just to have him there.

Toby had just rounded the hedges at the end of the drive when she nearly plowed Julie over. The blonde took one look at Toby's face and frowned. "Toby…"

"What, no sneered '_Tobias'_? No mocking 'princess'? How sweet of you," Toby snapped, furious.

Julie frowned. "Well you've certainly got the royal attitude down."

"What do you want, to gloat that Dominic's so mad at me? To flaunt the fact you've somehow managed to turn this all into my fault and finally succeed in driving away my one last friend?"

"I didn't come here to fight, so stop being such a—"

Theo stepped forward, fire in his eyes. "Do not talk to the Princess like that."

Julie's eyes narrowed as she stared at him, as if judging for herself how serious he was being about the threat. She suddenly sighed, shaking her head.

"Look, Toby. It's not what you think. Dom was just—"

"Not what I think?! Oh? Then what is it, Julie? Tell me! I mean, you've made my life so _wonderful_ and full of joy and happiness the past ten years, I'd _really_ love to know how it's not what I think!" Toby struggled to keep her voice from reaching yelling pitch, glad to have Theo at her side.

"I was jealous, okay?" Julie spat out, looking distinctly uncomfortable.

Toby stared at her, trying to keep her jaw from burying itself in the dirt she was standing on. "… what?"

"Dominic's a great guy, Toby. He's handsome, the top of his class, nice, a star athlete, the works… Any girl would love to go out with him. But he only has eyes for you. He'll be nice, sure, and attentive, but the moment you even frown, he drops everything and everyone and comes running. I mean, there's nothing even special about you. You're aloof, refuse to talk to anyone else, and don't even make the effort to be nice to others…"

"Wait, so because I don't open myself up to your every attack, I don't deserve Dominic?" Toby replied, her eyebrows arching. She didn't know whether to be hurt or angry.

"Oh please. You're so busy looking for attacks that you don't realize you imagine half of them," Julie replied, rolling her eyes.

Theo balled his fists, taking a step forward. Julie let out a gasp, throwing her hands up, but Toby reached out and caught Theo's arm, staring at Julie with icy green eyes. "You have about ten seconds to explain why you're talking to me before I let Theo turn you into an oversized slice of cheerleader toast."

Julie stared between the two of them for a moment, then shook her head. "Nevermind. You _don't_ deserve how much he likes you." She turned to walk away, then paused, glancing over her shoulder. "And he asked me over to make sure I wasn't going to go blabbing your story to the world. He was protecting you again, though I'm not sure why anymore."

Toby stared after Julie. For a long moment she just stood there, grappling with the anger and upset that raged through her. Finally, she inhaled, looking over her shoulder to find Theo staring at her. She shoved her emotions away; she was sure she was imagining the sympathy in his eyes anyway.

"Let's go. They're probably waiting for us." Then she turned and headed in the opposite direction of Dom and the blonde, heading home.


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: This story is completely original. All characters, settings, and events are spawned from my own mixed up little mind and may not be used, copied, or adapted without my express written permission. Do not steal my story!!!

**17.**

They were indeed waiting for Toby and Theo when the two finally arrived. And what a sight "they" were. Somehow, Verum had convinced Toby's mother to part with the dining room table, which was now animated and fidgeting under its load of luggage and various other items. Fiz was back, zipping around the table and chiding it, waggling his little toothpick-sword menacingly to try and keep it in line. There were no less than a dozen other colored lights careening madly through the air, a dozen tiny voices babbling as they tried to direct the chaos that was Toby's entourage. Verum and Linda stood in the middle, both talking to between two and four fairies at a time.

The hubbub suddenly ceased when Toby and Theo rounded the bend, a dozen lights stilling in the air as the fairies turned to stare at their new princess. Toby had to resist the urge to bolt for the road.

"Just think of them as oversized fireflies," Theo whispered into her ear, and she glanced over her shoulder with a faint smile.

"Princess," Verum greeted her, and Linda hugged her. "Are you ready to journey to the Court? They're expecting us."

The fairies hovered about Toby, staring at her with something akin to awed reverence on their faces. They were of both genders, male and female, of every combination of colors. They were all armed to the teeth, the glint of daggers and knives, bows and arrows, whips, and all manner of other weapons visible on their persons. Unlike Fiz, who was dressed mostly in what seemed to be silk, they were fully armored, in everything from acorn shells and deep green scales to burnished leather and silvery steel.

"Uh, sure," Toby said, ignoring the knot that was forming at the base of her stomach. If just a few fairies made her this uncomfortable, what was being in their home court going to be like?

"Then let us go," Verum said with a sweep of her wand. The table snapped to attention, moseying forward. "Say good-bye to your mother, just for now."

Toby turned and hugged her mother tightly. Linda clung to her for just a moment longer before releasing her, stepping back. "Stay safe, Tobydoby," she said with a smile, despite the fact she was obviously trying not to cry. Toby smiled back at her, trying to be as reassuring as possible.

"Now, we're off!"

Then the entire macabre group of them, the dozen fairies zipping about in the air, Verum, Toby, Theo, and the dining room table trundling on behind them, started off down the road. For a moment Toby thought they were walking back towards Dominic's house, but then they veered off onto a path that Toby had never noticed before, even with the hundreds of times she'd walked this very same road.

The trees arched over their heads, the branches twining together to form a sun-dappled canopy of emerald and dark brown shadows. The daylight sparkled on stray dust motes, making the air seem to glimmer. She gazed around them as they walked, wondering how such normal looking forest had suddenly become .. magical. It made her wonder where the real world ended and Believe began.

She looked to her side and studied the silver-haired young woman walking next to her. Verum had traded the oversized sparkly skirts for a travelling outfit that was only minorly less over-the-top, complete with long flowing sleeves and skirts that were only two layers instead of five. How conservative of her, Toby thought.

"So how are we getting to this other world, anyway?"

Verum blinked at her. "Oh, dear, Believe isn't a separate world. It's... well, how to explain this. 'The land of Believe' just refers to all of the magical places in the world, places that are hidden from most people."

Toby wrinkled her nose. "So... like secret gardens and stuff?"

"Not exactly..." The fairy godmother-in-training thought for a long moment, then snapped her fingers. "Ah! It's like a subway system."

Toby stared at her. "... what?"

"Well, a subway is part of a city, but separate from it, correct? Believe is much like a subway. It overlaps with the mundane world in certain places, like the subway has entrances to the city above. If one knows where to go to get to the subway and how to get into it -- the fare, you could say -- one can go from the city into the subway, or vice versa. Once in the subway, oe can visit a variety of stations, which are the magical and secret areas of our world, or return to the city above."

Toby tilted her head, then abruptly grinned slightly. "You know, that's actually a pretty good allusion."

Verum smiled brightly. "Thank you!"

"So... we're heading to one of these entrances? How far away is it?"

"Not very. They're not... exact. It's more a general area and you open the doorway by knowing _how_ to. Some require passwords, some special keys. Some just require you to know what to push or where to stand to get through. Each one is very different."

Toby frowned. "How on earth do you know how to get through?"

Verum giggled, winking at the brunette conspiratorially. "You learn to read the signs, Princess." Toby opened her mouth to ask Verum what these 'signs' looked like, but the question died on her lips at the curious sight of what had to be a bucket worth of water arching through the air towards Verum's back. Toby had just enough time to wonder why anyone would toss water at someone like Verum, then the water splashed all over both of them. Steam exploded around them and Toby threw up her hands to protect her eyes.

When she lowered her hands again, she found herself staring at a tiny, wet, silver rabbit sitting in the crumpled remains of Verum's travelling outfit. The splash seemed to draw the company's attention, a dozen sparkling lights turning to stare at the former fairy godmother-in-training.

Then, like a sudden exhale, trolls burst from the bushes around the path, painted, lumbering, and yelling. They carried staffs and clubs, a few maces between them, and met the swords and shields of the fairies who sprang into action with a deafening crash. Toby froze, standing there in the middle of the mayhem with the rabbit at the base of her feet hopping around agitatedly.

"Princess!" Fiz's voice burst from behind her and she turned, just in time to see him dart between her and a club so large that it must have been the entire trunk of a tree. Toby didn't understand how Fiz wasn't crushed into a pulp. Fiz swiped with his tiny toothpick sword so ferociously that the troll stumbled back, deep gouges appearing in his club. Fiz whipped around to face her. "Run further down the road! It'll take you to Avalon! Go!!" Behind him, she could see fire blossoming between the trees as Theo lunged at no less than four trolls.

Toby hesitated, torn, then saw the troll lunging forward again. She turned and dashed further down the road, hopping over grounded trolls and darting around staffs and swords. Her heart thudded in her ears, her breath tore from her chest in a scared tatter, and the road seemed to stretch out in front of her indefinitely.

She cleared the last of the sparring pairs, stumbled, then got to her feet and bolted down the pathway, not daring to look behind her. Branches slapped into her face as the road she was following became more of a footpath, a single thread winding through the trees. Turning a corner, she skidded to a stop, toppling back onto her rear.

A troll, her skin a deep blue, stood between her and where she was trying to go. The troll regarded her, then reached out and calmly grabbed at her. Toby shoved herself back, her hand scrabbling. She found a branch, then swung it backhanded. A small sliver of satisfaction wound its way through her when the troll jerked back, looking surprised.

Toby got to her feet. Why wasn't the tiara reacting? Wasn't this what it was supposed to protect against? Her heart pounded in her chest as the troll regrouped, then calmly swiped at her. Toby blocked with the branch, which shattered, sending the brunette hard against a nearby tree.

Great, broken ribs. Just what she needed.

The troll grabbed Toby and slung her over her shoulder like the girl weighed nothing. "Stop it! Let me go!! Fiz! Verum! Theo!!"

Toby slammed her fists into the troll's shoulders; it was like hitting solid stone. She kicked, screaming in fury, then felt a surge of triumph as her knee somehow found the troll's neck, making her buck over, dropping Toby to the ground. The brunette scrambled to her feet and bolted for the safety of the forest.

She'd gotten about two feet when pain and stars exploded behind her eyes, toppling to the ground. The world whirled around her, and she had the vision of a pair of deep blue feet in front of her face before she sank into unconciousness.


	18. Chapter 18

Disclaimer: This story is completely original. All characters, settings, and events are spawned from my own mixed up little mind and may not be used, copied, or adapted without my express written permission. Do not steal my story!!!

(( Pronunciation Guide --  
Ganja – gahn-juh  
Kjaja – keeyah-juh

Ta'ano – tah ahno ))

**18.**

Toby awoke to the rough feel of a blanket underneath her cheek. Trying to think around the throbbing ache deep in her skull, she cracked her eyes open carefully. The room she was in was windowless and dimly lit, with rough hewn stone walls and what looked like a woven straw matting on the ground. A single lamp glowed on top of the table, which was a slab of stone balanced on four intricately carven wooden posts. The bed she was on was little more than a mattress of some indiscernible type covered with a deep brown blanket.

Then her eyes fell on the troll standing next to the open doorway. It was the deep blue female troll who'd captured her. Toby sat up sharply, then wished she hadn't as the world bucked and rolled wildly around her. Gripping her head in her hands, she groaned softly.

"Careful, Princess. Head wound big hurt." The troll's voice was gravelly and rough, and suddenly coming from Toby's side. She inched her eyes open again to find the troll crouching by her, holding out what looked like a wet cloth. Toby eyed it, then reached out for it, to her surprise finding it rather cold to the touch. She took it from the troll and gingerly pressed it to the large lump on the back of her head.

"Where am I?" she finally managed, still watching the troll out of the corner of her eyes. She didn't trust this show of kindness, not for a second.

The troll grunted, resting her large hands on her thighs. She was solidly built, her hair braided into countless braids with beads and other small trinkets woven in, then pulled back in random clumps. Her tusks were long and curved, with designs burned into them, and her face was painted with white and black accents. Toby glanced over the thick leather straps she wore as armor, noticing that the mace that'd done her damage was no longer in the troll's belt loop. In fact, she was unarmed. No surprise there; the troll was easily seven feet tall. Toby doubted she'd get the upper hand on the warrior again.

"Everdark," the troll said, then pressed her three-fingered hand to her chest. "Ganja." Toby just stared at her, not understanding. The troll wrinkled her nose, then hit her chest with her hand. "Ganja, me!"

"Your name is Ganja?"

"Yes, Princess. Guard Princess. Bring Princess to Jade Lady, Beserkerqueen."

Toby didn't like the sound of that. She pulled her knees to her chest, glaring at Ganja. "If you're going to make me disappear or kill me or whatever, you might as well get it over with now. I'm not going to give you any information or do any favors for you or cooperate in any sort of way."

Ganja looked surprised. "No kill Princess. Bring Princess to Jade Lady, Beserkerqueen."

"Yeah, you said that." Toby looked around the room again, once again noting that there was no door to close the room. Only what looked like long, flattened strips of roots hung down to offer some degree of privacy. Her head was feeling much better, and she wondered if there was something more in the compress than just water. "Fine, let's get this over then." The pit of her stomach was a solid block of ice, but strangely, faced with the beings that were probably trying to kill her and with no visible hope of rescue and no aid from the magic that was supposed to protect her, she found herself surprisingly calm.

Her composure faltered, however, when she tried to get to her feet and the world decided to go topsy turvy on her. She swayed and would have hit the ground again if not for the large, calloused hands that gripped her shoulders.

"Princess move slow. Ganja sorry, forget humans flimsy."

"Great," Toby muttered under her breath. Since when did murderers and the scourge of the land of Believe show remorse? Maybe Ganja was just a bleeding heart. Or, more likely, this was all just a ploy to win her over, get her to lower her defenses. That was definitely it.

"Ganja carry Princess?" the troll offered, her long ears perking up like a dog's would. Toby had to resist the urge to throw something and yell 'fetch!' Maybe as a diversion later.

"No thank you. I'll walk." With a supreme effort of will, she shrugged the troll's hands off and managed to stay on her feet. She folded her arms over her chest, looking annoyed. It was a bluff; she was barely able to focus on the doorway in front of her, much less spare much attention to being angry. "Well? Lead the way."

Ganja eyed her, glittering black eyes scouring the princess as if judging whether or not she was being serious. Finally, with what, to Toby, almost seemed like a measure of respect, she nodded and moved past Toby towards the doorway. Toby followed. Those cupped ears were tilted back towards Toby, and the brunette knew that if she was even to make a step out of line the troll would know instantly. Toby would have to wait until some other opportunity presented itself to make a run for it. She certainly wasn't going to be vanished or whatever they'd done to the other Princesses without a fight.

The hallway was surprisingly large, the floor worn smooth with thousands of feet's passage. Every few feet there was a deep bowl cut into the side of the wall. A dark blue liquid dripped from holes above the bowl, maintaining a thin layer of the fluid which burned with a soft, pale blue light. Toby wondered what the liquid was and opened her mouth to ask before shutting it. They'd probably lie to her about it anyway.

It was hard to see around the large troll's lumbering form, so Toby just focused on the bands of leather crossing her muscled back, following her quietly. She could feel herself growing stronger with every minute. She just had to pay attention and seize her opportunity when it presented itself.

"Beserkerqueen reigns for many, many years. Great number like rocks in ground. Kill many foes in battle, bring great honor to Everdark." Ganja spoke, her deep rumbling voice echoing through the halls. Toby noted several side passages, none lit; they seemed to be getting bigger and more-traveled. She even spotted several other trolls, of both genders, heavily armored, and of a rich variety of blues, greens, and browns. They all seemed to duck through the shadows as if they were avoiding the lighted path that Toby and Ganja were walking along. Toby didn't understand how they saw in the darkness with their tiny glittering eyes.

"Oh? Not going to add 'Slayer of many princesses' to that list?" Toby snarked, then nearly ran into the troll when she stopped. Ganja turned and for a second the brunette regretted letting her tongue get away with her. The troll frowned.

"Good queen. Not like dirty dragons. Fight honorable, respect life of Believe."

Again with the dragons. Toby's chest hurt at the thought of Theo and what it must be like to have so many on both sides dislike him so intensely just for what he was. Before she had a chance to process what Ganja meant, the troll was walking again. Toby inhaled and followed.

Minutes later, they emerged from the tight tunnels into a chamber so large that not even the pale blue light reached to the top. Long, spiraling columns descended from the roof and melded into the ground, providing support for the massive structure. High, high above them, Toby could see tiny white lights adorning the pillars and sparkling from the roof. There were many trolls here, moving through the half-light, speaking and grunting in their strange guttural language. Dimly, she could hear the whining cry of a child. Strange smells tickled her nose – the rich, earthy smell of fresh dirt, the mouth-watering odor of some meat being roasted, even the tickling tease of a perfume or a flower.

The sudden disconcerting sensation of such openness underground made Toby dizzy, and she paused. The troll turned to look at her again.

"Everdark Great Hall," the troll grunted, holding out her hand to indicate the entire, volumous cavern. "Heart of troll lands. Never seen enemy feet, trolls good fighters." The troll's chest puffed out in pride of her people.

"So this is where you all live? Just… out in the open like this?"

The troll squinted at her. "Family dens nearby, but trolls be with trolls. What society good if no live together?"

Toby was struck by the sudden humanity of the lumbering warriors, and she stared around for a moment. "Oh," was all she finally managed, not sure what to make of it. The trolls were the enemies, right? Why then did they seem just like any other group of people? … minus the tusks and bad grammar, of course.

"Come. Jade Lady waits." Ganja gestured, then turned and headed into the crowd again. Toby followed.

There didn't seem to be any central passage or even organization to the trolls' dwelling spaces, except around the deep pits in the ground that glowed with cooking fire embers. Trolls squatted in groups or knelt on rough woven blankets much like the one Toby had awoken on. She could see groups of warriors, standing around inspecting armor and weapons, and then groups of caretakers, smaller males and females, gathered around children and cooking suppers. Someone somewhere was playing drums, the rhythmic pounding only seeming to accent the flow of conversation.

As Toby and Ganja passed by, the trolls stopped and stared at her. Then, to her utter amazement, they began to bow their heads in respect. Toby felt her cheeks flush with embarrassment at the reverence, and hurried to keep up with Ganja.

"Kjaja," they murmured as she walked past. "Kjaja ta'ano."

"Ganja," Toby whispered. "What are they saying?"

The troll smiled and even in the semi-darkness her teeth gleamed. "Kjaja means Life. Ta'ano is Welcome."

'Welcome Life?' Last she checked she was a princess, not a goddess. She just nodded, unsettled, and they continued on their way. Toby fixed her eyes resolutely on Ganja's broad back and tried not to think of finding a nice niche in the cave walls and sealing herself in.

So deep was her concentration she nearly walked into Ganja again when the troll stopped. Stepping to one side, she looked up, and couldn't help but gasp slightly.

The doors stretched high into the darkness, glittering with gold and gems in an intricate design. She could see trolls and fairies depicted, dragons and even what must have been princesses, gems shining from their brows. It was like the doors told the story of the trolls' entire existence.

Two guards stood to either side of the door, urns with the pale blue fire burning in them just behind and to one side of the trolls. Ganja thumped her chest with her fist. The two guards mimicked her gesture, then grunted at her. Toby stood there, feeling ice creep down her spine as the troll guards stepped forward and began pushing the giant doors open with a great creaking.

Toby could see a large hall, by no means the size of the Great Hall but still quite large, beyond, and at the end a darkly shining figure sitting at a large stone table. Toby swallowed hard.

Ganja stepped to one side, and gestured for Toby to walk in. "Jade Lady. Ganja wait here," she said. Toby froze. Finally the troll reached out and gave the brunette a gentle push, smiling in her most reassuring manner. Needless to say, a reassuring smile from a giant lumbering war-machine around two tusks was not very reassuring at all.

"Go," she instructed. "No fear."

_No fear. Hah. You aren't the one about to get turned into so much pixie dust,_ Toby thought, annoyed, then stepped forward, walking into the royal hall. As soon as she'd stepped past them, the guards pulled the door shut with a resounding boom.

Then Toby stood alone with the Beserker Queen of the trolls.


	19. Chapter 19

Disclaimer: This story is completely original. All characters, settings, and events are spawned from my own mixed up little mind and may not be used, copied, or adapted without my express written permission. Do not steal my story!!!

(( Note: Due to some unforeseen problems with the name I'd picked out for her (thank you for letting me know, watsonkat! 3) Ganja will henceforth be known as Gaj'ja. Pronounced "Gahj-jah" ))

**19.**

The pale blue light flickered across the smooth walls of the royal hall, making the designs etched into every surface dance and come alive. It made Toby feel like there were hundreds of pairs of eyes watching her instead of just one.

The hall stretched out before her, easily a soccer field's length, at its end a large stone table with no center. Instead, in the middle, was a pedestal bearing a broken sword. Toby wondered why such a relic – a broken one, at that – was so important it got center table even in the queen's chamber. The queen herself sat in a high backed chair at the head of the table, watching Toby. The brunette could hardly see her because of the shadows cast by the big chair, but she knew the troll was watching her. She could feel it.

Toby had no other alternative, so she started walking forward.

The queen said nothing.

Reaching the end of the table, Toby came to a stop. Then, not knowing what else to do, she dipped in a very awkward and very un-princess-like curtsey. The Beserker Queen laughed, and stood, the chair screeching in protest as it was slid across the stone wall.

"You're certainly not what I expected." Her voice was harsh, gravelly like Ganja's, but fluent, mimicking the grace that she displayed as she walked around the corner of the table and came into the light. Her skin was a rich green, a shade that would put any emerald to shame. She stood small, for a troll, barely seven feet, but she seemed the largest thing in the room. Her hair was spiked up into three mohawks, one large center one with the two on the sides smaller. The hair that fell down her back was braided with blades adorning the ends. Her tusks were small and capped with jade tips, accented by the armor she wore, which was smooth plate metal of a green so deep it nearly seemed black. On her person she bore no fewer then six different weapons that Toby could see – twin axes at her hips, long swords across her back, daggers tucked into her belt, and even a ring of throwing stairs on a chain around her neck.

She was like a walking armory, and when she smiled the lights in her eyes seemed like flashing swords. Toby had never met a berserker, but she knew this slim green being put their reputation to shame.

"I get that a lot," Toby replied finally, part of herself proud at how strong her voice sounded. The other part was too busy trying to keep her entire body from shaking with fright to care. The Jade Lady walked around her in a slow circle. She smelled of fire, like from a forge, and steel.

The Jade Lady suddenly seized Toby and tilted her head back. The brunette flailed helplessly in the troll's iron grasp, staring up at the troll. _Here it comes. Great, I didn't even get to tell her she looked like an oversized grape._

But it didn't come. The queen stared at her tiara for a minute, then released her. Toby wavered, but kept her feet, staring in confusion and surprise as the troll returned to her seat. This time the fire light kept her illuminated. She gestured to the seat just around the corner of the table.

"Sit, Princess. Let's have tea."

Toby stared at her. "…. What?'

"Tea. You still have tea in your mundane places, don't you? Now sit." She flicked the blade of the polearm leaning against her throne with her finger, making a small sound like a bell. On cue, a troll appeared, and part of Toby burst into laughter at the sight of a giant troll warrior carrying a tray with a tea seat on it. He set it down in front of the queen, bowed deeply to them both, then left.

The Jade Lady wasted no time in pouring Toby a cup, then looked at her expectantly. Toby realized she hadn't actually sat down yet, so quickly moved to do that.

"You… you aren't going to make me disappear?"

The troll paused in her pouring, stared at Toby. "What?! I bet that ridiculous oversized pansy Verum gave you that idea, did she? She never did understand trolls." She snorted derisively, dumping four sugar cubes into her tea. Toby wondered if trolls strolled into supermarkets and bought cubes in bags like normal "mundane" people.

"So what do you want then? Why did you kidnap me and drag me all the way down here?!"

The Jade Lady fixed her with a slow smile. "To have tea."

Toby stared at her for a moment. Then, not knowing what else to do, she put a sugar cube and some creamer in her own tea, then sipped at it. She set the cup down again. "Okay. We had tea. Now what? I'm not telling you anything, you know."

The troll laughed, a raucous, harsh sound like blades clanging together. "By the stones, you may not look like much, but you've got a tongue on you. Now shut up and enjoy your tea, or I'll cut that amusing tongue out and snack on it, Princess."

Toby didn't doubt for a second she'd do as she threatened, so she sipped at her tea and said nothing.

"That's better. Now, first things first. The trolls aren't the ones who make the Princesses disappear, I can swear it. After all, no Princesses means everything's asleep, and everything being asleep means no battles, and that's a fate worse than death. Before you ask," she added with a stern look when Toby opened her mouth, "I don't know who's doing it. If I did, I would have gutted them and had myself a new carpet a long time ago."

She stamped one foot and Toby resolutely kept herself from looking down. "You mean… you're happy that I was crowned?"

The troll grinned. "Exceedingly. You're a little on the scrawny side, but from what Ganja told me you've got some spirit and that pleases me. Especially if we're to do battle in the future, feisty Princesses are always so much more fun to capture."

"Wait a second! I thought you said you didn't want me to disappear!"

The troll heaved a sigh. "Of course not. Then things go to sleep. But what good would a Princess be to us trolls if we didn't try and capture you every once in a while? I do so miss those roaring good battles with Lord Fizzybink. How's he doing, still using my sword?'

"… your sword?" Toby imagined the tiny little toothpick of a sword Fiz carried in the troll queen's grasp.

"Yes. He won it off me fair and square. But I won his armor. Oh the look on his face as the rest of his battalion arrived to find him clad in nothing but his loincloth..." She grinned wickedly, and Toby felt her head spinning. This wasn't going anything like Toby had thought it would, and the brunette wasn't sure what to make of it. The troll was openly telling her she was going to try and kidnap Toby in the future, but it was all in good fun…?

"I don't… I don't understand…"

The troll suddenly patted Toby's hand. "You will in time, Princess. I was afraid I was going to have to rough you up a bit to get some backbone, but I don't think I'll need to. I can recognize a fighter when I see one. So I think I'll give you something to aid you."

She stood and the chair screeched again. The Beserker Queen strode into the center of the square table from an opening to one side of her chair and reached up. Gingerly she picked up the two broken pieces of the sword, sliding them into the sheath that rested just below. Then she returned to Toby, gently placing the sheathed, shattered sword in the brunette's palms.

"What… what is it?"

"Something that should have been fixed a long time ago. I want you to take it with you. I've got a feeling you'll be putting to right a good many things, and I want this to be one of them."

Toby stared at the weapon in her hands. It was heavier than it seemed it should be, the sheath made of a cool leather and inscribed with a language Toby didn't recognize. The hilt of the sword was long, and shaped like a dragon, with the dragon's tail curling around the base of the blade and the dragon's mouth as the pommel, a ruby flame set in the end. Its outstretched wings formed the protective arms of the hilt.

"I'll take good care of it," Toby said, looking up at the troll queen, who smiled.

"I know you will." She sat down again and raised her tea cup to her mouth. "Because if you don't, the next time we meet you'll be the one leaving in pieces." Toby smiled faintly at the joke. At least, she hoped it was a joke. "Now, Gaj'ja will show you back to your room. If you wish to explore you may, but keep in mind you only have a few hours."

"Until what…?"

The Jade Lady looked up at Toby and grinned. "Until your rescue, of course." She heaved a happy sigh and sipped at her tea again. "Oh, I am so looking forward to a good battle… I hear Georgette's got a Pookah now. This will be fun." Her glittering eyes seemed lost in dreamy anticipation of the romp to come, so Toby just sipped at her tea, turning her own thoughts to the broken sword in her lap and what it would mean in the days to come.


	20. Chapter 20

Disclaimer: This story is completely original. All characters, settings, and events are spawned from my own mixed up little mind and may not be used, copied, or adapted without my express written permission. Do not steal my story!!!

(( Pronunciation --   
Kjavaeos – keeyah-vay-os

And, just as a note, I'm constantly making lists of things that I need to fix in the story, like the inconsistency between Fiz telling Toby it was the trolls and the Jade Lady's statement about Verum. If you ever notice anything like that, please feel free to either email me or review about it and let me know. I really appreciate all of your feedback, you've already caught two major bugs. Props to you guys for being awesome readers!))

**20.**

When the Berserker Queen finally released Toby from their little tea session, it was after about four cups of tea and quite a few stories of battles she'd fought in her heyday. Toby got the feeling that she was trying to relay something to the Princess – something about the soul of a troll or whatnot – but the brunette just ended up feeling a bit more confused than before. She believed the Jade Lady when she said that she meant no harm to Toby, but at the same time, all of her stories were filled with Princesses they'd ransomed and Knights they'd fought against. It was hard to feel camaraderie towards someone who wanted to put her through such unappealing experiences.

Toby put the dilemma of making sense of their society to the back of her mind and stepped outside of the chamber. Gaj'ja was there, waiting, and smiled widely when she saw Toby.

"Good! Gaj'ja thought Toby no be killed." Toby was unsettled by the thought that it'd even been a question. What if the Jade Lady hadn't found her quite so acceptable, would she really have killed Toby…? The brunette had a feeling she didn't want to know the answer.

"She said we only had a few hours," Toby said, glancing curiously at the guards. One was a deep shade of brown; the other, a ruddy red. Gaj'ja was much prettier than both of them, in a large, lumbering, rough sort of way.

"Yes. Scouts say Knight and others close close. Upper catacombs." Toby was rather amused at the troll's nonchalant tone.

"And it'll take them hours to get down here?"

The troll smiled widely in a way that very much reminded Toby of the Berserker Queen. "Catacombs like maze. Long long time to find way through."

"Oh," Toby replied. She must have been unconscious for that part. She looked around, one hand sliding down to grip the sheath the Jade Lady had bound around her waist, then found that the guards and Gaj'ja were all staring at her in something akin to shock.

"Kjavaeos," Gaj'ja murmured, echoed by the guards, and bowed deeply – to the sword. Toby stared.

"Is that its name?" She was by no means an expert but she was pretty sure she'd heard that most legendary swords got names. Silly practice, in her opinion, naming oversized letter openers, but she certainly didn't pretend to understand the trolls.

"Yes. Most sacred sword. Most special sword. Kjavaeos." Gaj'ja bowed again and Toby wondered, once again, why the Jade Lady had given it to her.

"Great. Anything I should know about it? Like, does it spout fire? Am I going to turn into a toad if I try and use it? Any little details like that?" Great, just great. She was a Princess being held hostage until her rescue, which everyone knew was coming and would be successful, and now she had a holy-but-in-pieces sword to lug around.

"Kjavaeos," Gaj'ja said again, and bowed. Toby was getting really irritated with all of the bowing.

"Thanks for the information."

Gaj'ja looked vaguely irritated by the sharpness of Toby's voice and folded her hands over her broad chest. The movement accented just how large and muscular she was and Toby made a mental note to rein her tongue in at least a bit more while she was here. "Gaj'ja no tell. Gaj'ja show."

She gestured to Toby, then turned on her heel and strode off through the Great Hall again. Toby balked at walking through that mass of trolls and their strange hero-worship of her, but it was either follow Gaj'ja, who seemed decent enough as far as trolls went, or stand here doing nothing in front of the Beserker Queen's chambers. No real choice there; she followed Gaj'ja.

The troll strode rapidly, obviously intent on where she was going, and soon they veered off to the side and made it to the safety of a smaller side tunnel. Toby nearly sighed in relief, but had to hurry to keep up with the azure warrior in front of her.

"Where are we going?" she asked, but Gaj'ja ignored her. They kept walking, into tunnels that were obviously far less traveled than any of the others they'd been in. The floors were rough instead of worn smooth and the pale blue fire-lights were much further between. Toby found herself picking up the pace to stay a bit closer to Gaj'ja's strong back.

Soon the tunnel they were following was barely wide enough for Gaj'ja in front of them. Toby wasn't sure how far they'd traveled, but she hadn't seen any other trolls in quite a few twists and turns. This certainly was not somewhere they frequented often and it made her wonder what Gaj'ja had to show her.

Unexpectedly, the tunnel abruptly widened, disappearing into a cavern just as large as the Great Hall. Toby wasn't sure she'd ever get used to the stark contrasts of the small tunnels to the gigantic open spaces that existed underground. This one seemed smaller, at least, because of the huge pillars that descended from the ceiling all the way to the ground. There was one central one easily as large as half a basketball court, surrounded by ones that were much smaller.

Gaj'ja walked straight to the central pillar, even though Toby could barely see it in the dim light from the blue fire at the entrance of the tunnel. Toby hesitated, then followed, finding to her surprise that the pillar was covered with deep etchings. She reached out and touched it, and was surprised to find it wet. Pulling her fingers back, she found her fingers dipped in the same blue fluid that dripped into the deep basins in the tunnel walls.

"Gaj'ja, what—" she started, turning to find Gaj'ja kneeling at the base of the stone, striking two rocks together. The sparks hit the liquid and burst into flames, the pale blue licks racing up the stone and making Toby stumble back in shock.

She gasped.

The etchings in the pillar were actually pictures, a complex design that seemed to tell a story. High up the pedestal she could see two groups of beings, tall, with long ears and large eyes. In their midst was a smaller figure, with a long sword held in one hand. Toby recognized the sword she held at this very second and gripped the hilt a bit tighter. The next panel showed one smaller group leaving the larger group, then the next showed them entering what could only be caverns. Then, the figure locked in deadly combat against a dragon, its flames twisting up her sword. Triumphant, the figure straddled a dragon laying along the ground, her sword held aloft as the others she'd been with danced and rejoiced at the dragon's death.

"I don't understand, Gaj'ja. What does it mean?" She turned to look at the troll, who was staring at the flame-lit story as if it were the most beautiful thing in the world. At Toby's question, she shook herself, then raised her thick fingers to point.

"Long long ago, trolls leave home of Esmera. Princess, Lifebringer, Warrior Queen, the Great Lady, lead us, deep into caverns so others from Esmera no find us. Only, dragon sleeping, mother of all dragons, fiercest and wickedest dragon in all Believe. Woke and killed a great many. Great Lady fight dragon, many days in battle, but Great Lady is victorious, slays Dragonmother. Since then, trolls live in peace and safety, never lost battle in tunnels."

"So this… Great Lady, she wielded this sword? But where did she get it?" Toby asked, trying to get her mind around what this meant. It was a nice story, but what did the Jade Lady want from her? To just fix the sword and make the trolls feel better? Gaj'ja shrugged.

"Kjavaeos Great Lady's sword. No know where Great Lady find it. Princess magic, Gaj'ja thinks. But Kjavaeos very special. Dragonmother's blood spilled by it, Dragonmother's heart pierced by it. All Dragonmother's magic flowed into blade. Great magic left in it."

Toby folded her arms over her chest. "If it was so great, how'd it end up broken?"

The anger that sprang onto Gaj'ja's face was so great, so terrible, that Toby took a step back before she'd even realized it. The troll slammed her fist into a side pedestal. "Betrayer! Liar, deceiver…! Slipped in Beserker Queen's chambers. Shattered sword with wicked magic!"

"Who? Who shattered the sword, and why?" Toby asked, before she even had a chance to tell herself that continuing to question Gaj'ja about something she was obviously so angry about was probably not a great idea.

Gaj'ja let out a low, rumbling growl of pure hatred. "No know. Fled scene. Disappeared. Not seen Fairy Godmother since the Betrayal, the shattering of Kjavaeos, troll's most precious possession."

Toby stared at her. "… the Fairy Godmother? _The_ Fairy Godmother? But… I thought… I thought she was a _good_ guy. Why would she want to do something so offensive and cruel?"

Gaj'ja growled again. "When trolls find her, we find answer in her, pull it out inch by inch."

Toby tried not to decipher those words any further, but gripped the sword in her hands, staring up at the pedestal even as the flickering flames began to fade, the story fading into darkness again. Even as the pictures disappeared, however, their imagines remained burned in Toby's mind, along with a thousand new questions.

Great, as if she didn't have enough of them already. Someday maybe she'd find some answers to go with them. That'd be nice, real nice.

Gaj'ja's long ears perked up and she looked towards the tunnel. Abruptly her anger faded away into child-like delight. She slammed one fist into another, her eyes alight.

"It time! Come, Princess, time to be rescued!" Then she turned and practically ran towards the tunnel entrance. Toby stared at her back, heaved a sigh, then followed, muttering, under her breath, "fine, but if anyone else hits me with anything, I'm feeding them to Theo."


	21. Chapter 21

(( Disclaimer: This story is completely original. All characters, settings, and events are spawned from my own mixed up little mind and may not be used, copied, or adapted without my express written permission. Do not steal my story!!!

Sorry this chapter took so long to get out. I made a move cross-country, started a new job, then had a loss in the family to deal with. Here's hoping things settle down a bit more. :) ))

**21.**

By the time Gaj'ja had slowed her furious pace through the twists and turns of the underground tunnels, Toby was gasping for breath. She sagged against the nearest wall and stayed there even as Gaj'ja considered the sounds and sights of the battle that had spilled out into the large main tunnel, gulping air in gratefully as she tried to get her breath back.

The troll turned. "Princess no die!" she warned, then drew her long sword and charged into battle.

"Gaj'ja, wait--!" Toby yelled, but the troll was gone. She exhaled, letting her head fall back against the tunnel wall behind, frustrated. She was so tired of no one telling her anything. Everyone thought this was so easy, so straight-forward, but meanwhile Toby had no idea what was going on. She sank to the ground, gripping Kjavaeos in her hands. The sword felt like it was a bag of bricks, her arms burning with the effort it'd taken to carry it on their mad flight.

"I'm just going to stay right here. Just... not going to move." That sounded like a great idea. That was what one was supposed to do, right? She'd just sit right down and wait for someone to come find her.

Well, until someone stepped in front of her. She raised her eyes slowly, trying to ignore the sinking feeling in her stomach, and found herself staring into the face of one very large troll. "Uh.. hi?" she said, with a faint smile. He wouldn't attack her. They hero-worshipped her or whatever. He was just raising his sword because he was exercising. Yeah. That was it. Just exercising. Right.

The troll swung for her head. She shrieked and flung herself to the side just in time to avoid losing the rather important top foot of her body. Scrambling away, she thrust Kjavaeos out just in time to block the troll's next swing. The chime of the troll's sword on the broken sword's hilt was like a bell tolling, clear and loud. For a moment it gave them both pause, but not for long. Toby recovered first, gripped the hilt with both hands, and slammed it down on the troll's head.

She didn't even wait for the troll to recover or not recover, just dashed down the hall. Fighting meant that there was someone there who was on her side. She just had to make it to them and let them do all the fighting and the scary stuff.

A hand grabbed her and pulled her to one side, and she immediately shrieked and swung at her captor with Kjavaeos.

Theo blocked the swinging sword with one hand, blinking at her. "Hey..." he said, but Toby just flung herself to him, wrapping her arms around him. She'd never been so happy to see someone in her entire life. Theo froze slightly, but then hugged her back, just holding her close. For a moment, all the insanity of the past couple of days, all the mix-ups and the frustration, didn't seem quite so bad.

"Princess!" Toby looked up into the noble face of Georgette, a frown creasing her forehead. The Knight glanced at the dragon, then held her hand out to Toby. "Come. It doth be time to leave."

Toby gazed at Georgette's hand for a moment, then reached out and took it. Georgette immediately pulled Toby closer to her, impossibly long sword held in one hand. It just made a mockery of all physics, really. It made Toby's head hurt. There was no time to worry about impossibly long swords or the way the Knight had looked at Theo or saying goodbye to Gaj'ja or anything like that. They were running through the tunnels again, and Toby thought annoyedly that she didn't recall Princesses having to run quite so much.

Thankfully, they only seemed to be running to Verum, because as soon as the over-dressed silver-haired fairy godmother-in-training came into view, Georgette gave Toby a slight push towards her. "Go," she ordered. Toby didn't hesitate. She was too tired to try and figure out what was going on. She just wanted to get out of these crazy tunnels and away from the trolls who revered her but still tried to kill her.

Verum was whipping her little twig of a wand through the air, sending charms and spells hurtling throughout the dark tunnels. Toby glanced, but noted that the fairy godmother-in-training's spells were hitting both troll and non-troll alike, mostly seperating them, as if managing the battle. Just whose side was the over-poofed airhead on?

Toby didn't have time to wonder, though, because Verum beamed and held out a hand for Toby to take. "Princess! Wonderful. Shall we be going?"

Toby glanced over her shoulder in time to see flames leap out against a troll's shield, but then pulled her eyes back to Verum. Still gripping the shattered sword in her other hand, she reached out and took Verum's hand in her own. "Let's get out of here." She didn't bother asking how the others would get back; she was sure they knew what they were doing, and Toby herself was completely out of her bounds here. At this point, she was more of a liability than anything else. Not something she really liked to admit.

Verum pulled the brunette close and whipped her wand around them. A translucent bubble formed in the air around them, the world outside going strange and squiggly. Ah, so this was what Verum saw every time she bubble-popped places.

Toby watched as the world seemed to shrink around the bubble, down into a pin prick. Then a moment later, it seemed to widen again, but this time to an entirely different scene. And when the bubble _pop!_ed, they weren't standing in the caverns anymore. In fact, they weren't standing anywhere that Toby recognized. They were above ground again in an open clearing, the long grass waving underneath Toby's feet. There, in front of them, was a stump. Not just any stump. It was the largest, biggest, roundest stump Toby had ever seen, easily large enough that Toby could have walked right through it.

"Verum, where..." Toby began, but when she turned, the fairy godmother-in-training was hard at work. More bubbles appeared, each one popping to reveal a different member of Toby's little rescue party. Fairies of every color, including Fizzybink, stood in a loose group around the towering Georgette and Theo. There was even several taller humanoids that Toby didn't recognize. One she almost mistook for a birch tree, his skin the color and pattern of the bark of one, even his hair short and jagged. Another looked like she was made out of stone. A third Toby hadn't noticed as quickly was much shorter, furred, and with a face more like a badger's than a human's. All three had long, pointed ears.

Then, finally, there was a figure standing there in shining silver armor much like Georgette's, that made Toby stare. "... Dom?"

He turned his brilliant blue eyes to her, looking for a moment like he wasn't sure how to react. But then he offered her a small smile, glancing over her. "You okay, Tobeydobey?"

"Yeah. I'm fine... Nice of you to notice," Toby replied, still angry over the last time they'd spoken. At least Dominic looked abashed at the tone of her voice, though Toby felt a little guilty for her anger as soon as he did. Darn him and her inability to stay mad at her. She shifted her grip on Kjavaeos, rubbing her thumb over the hilt of the sword.

All eyes, for the second time that night, turned to the over-sized toothpick Toby was holding.

Theo hissed in fury. "_Betrayer_."

Toby blinked, looking from Georgette to Theo to Dom, who was the only other one in the clearing who looked as confused as Toby felt right at that instant. At the very least, no one besides Theo seemed .. unhappy to see the sword. And he seemed livid. Great.

"The Jade Lady gave it to me," she said, feeling as if they were expecting some sort of explanation. "I had no choice. She wants me to mend it."

Verum inhaled slowly. "Oh. Oh dear. That is a very big honor Toby, and a very big responsibility. That sword is the troll's most valued possession. That she would even let it out of the Everdark..." She glanced at Georgette. "She must known something. I can't imagine she would take a gamble this big."

Toby was looking at Theo, though. He was staring at the sword as if it was the most disgusting, most vile thing he'd ever seen. It only made sense, she thought. He was a dragon, and this sword had been used to kill the Dragonmother. But... the Dragonmother had been evil. Theo wasn't. That he was so angry about it... It made her nervous, because it lent truth to what Verum had been saying. Could he really resist his true nature...? Did she dare hope he could?

Without saying anything more, Theo turned and strode away angrily. Toby didn't bother trying to stop him, but instead turned to look at the others.

"Come now. You must be tired," Verum said, her voice exceptionally happy as she swept forward to put her hand on Toby's shoulder.

Toby glanced around them, sighing. "How far do we have to walk?" She wondered where Valiance the Pookah was and if he would just carry her. She was so very, very tired.

"About five feet," Fiz said, his eyes sparkling as he spun a slow circle around Toby, then zipped towards the stump before she could ask him what he meant. He went to the tree, reaching out and touching it in several places rapidly. Then he spoke something in a language Toby didn't quite catch -- the same language she'd heard Verum use before. There was a soft cracking noise, and a doorway appeared in the stump.

Two more fairies flew up, pulling the door open and revealing a set of stairs that wound into the trunk and down into the ground. Ugh, underground again, Toby thought.

"Welcome to the fairy mound," Fiz said, with no small measure of pride. "Welcome to Avalon, Princess." And then he bowed deeply. Toby stared at the doorway for a moment, but then, when it was obvious everyone was waiting for her to go first, stepped forward and walked into the darkness of the trunk stairway. She glanced over her shoulder as she began walking, just in time to see the three strange beings turn and disappear into the forest again. Not fairies, then?

She craned her head to see, and as she did so her foot missed the step. She pitched forward, but Dom grabbed her arm, steadying her. "Careful, Tobes," he said with a smile. She couldn't help but smile back at him, but then mentally sighed. Now he was being nice to her again? Boys. She'd never figure them out.


	22. Chapter 22

(( Disclaimer: This story is completely original. All characters, settings, and events are spawned from my own mixed up little mind and may not be used, copied, or adapted without my express written permission. Do not steal my story!!!

Yay! We finally made it to Avalon! We're getting to the final chapters of the story, so if you have any feedback or ideas for the end of the story, you'd better share them now. :D ))

**22.**

The stump stairs wound down for what seemed like a small eternity. Toby tried to count how many times they made a complete circle, but found it impossible to keep track of the nearly endless twisting. So finally she gave up and instead focused on keeping the shattered sword in her hands from bumping into the walls and railing.

Just when she was at her wit's end and about ready to flop down and refuse to keep going down the stairs, they reached a level platform. Toby paused, waiting until Verum, who was behind her, had moved around her and was leading the way. Princess or no, she had no idea where she was and where she was going and she wasn't as silly as to think she'd just magically know or conjure up the information.

They emerged into a courtyard large enough to rival Everdark's throne room. Where Everdark, however, had been clad in shadows with only the faintest of light from the blue fires dappling across its walls, the courtyard was full of rainbows, nary a shadow to be seen. Columns at the sides of the giant room arched high over head, mimicking trees with their supports like branches fanning out across the domed cieling. Toby, at first, thought the cieling was a window opening to the sky above, but after a moment realized that it was in reality encrusted with crystals and gems all of all sorts that seemed to actually be generating their own light. Crystals and gems twined all the way down the pillars to the floor, which was a beautiful burnished wood, etched with thin lines of gold.

Toby had to pause on the threshold, staring around her. As dark and clustered as Everdark had been, Avalon was that bright and spacious. It almost hurt her eyes and she had to blink rapidly against the sudden brilliance.

"Keep going, Princess. This is just the entryway," a voice said to her right, and she turned to look into twin emerald eyes. She gasped and jumped back, staring at Fizzybink. A Fizzybink who now stood about a head taller than she was.

"F-Fiz?!"

He grinned, bowing to her, his emerald eyes sparkling like mad. This size, she realized just how intricate and complex the tattoos that spanned his broad, muscular chest were, and now long and silken his spring green hair was. He'd donned some sort of leather bands that crossed his chest, holding to his back a shell that outside of the Fairy Court had seemed to Toby to have been made out of an acorn shell. Now she could see it was wrought of a deeply bronzed metal and wood, mimicking the look of an acorn. Across his brow was a simple golden circlet, a tiny emerald set in the middle of it. Toby supposed it only made sense; he was a crown prince, after all. "When we're in the Fairy Court, we're all the same size. Our magic is stronger here."

"S-so... _all_ the fairies are going to be .. normal sized?"

"Mm-mm. _You_ are going to be _our_ size," Fiz said, straightening up, his hands resting on his hips. Toby couldn't help but stare at him. He was handsome, but ... different somehow. It was obvious that he wasn't just another human. His cheekbones were higher, his eyes wider and more slanted, and his long ears curved back behind his head. Even the way he moved was some how more direct, more graceful, like the most skilled of martial artists.

Toby wrinkled her nose, but before she could say anything Verum had grabbed her elbow and was directing her further through the Courtyard, towards the arched doorway at the end. Half of her wanted to drag her feet as she was ushered though the hallway, too tired to deal with what else what in store for her.

The Courtyard was huge but before she'd even processed all of it, they were at the other end, and plunging into the doorway beyond. The sudden light made Toby throw her hand over her eyes, and when she could finally see again she found herself in a room even more massive than the previous one. All of these huge spaces and dizzyingly high cielings were making her head spin. What happened to normal sized houses, normal sized rooms? Well, she supposed this must be normal for the fairies. It all made her feel so small.

There were balconies upon balconies, at least four levels of them, each set back a little bit more like the steps of a fountain, all leading down into the main room on the ground floor. Directly in front of Toby and her party, on the other side of the massive room, were two ornate doors, gems and gold and silver all twined into an incredibly detailed design depicting what Toby could only imagine was the cosmos, or at least that of Believe's. About two thirds of the way between them and the intricate doors was a white marble planter, a small, twisted tree bent in the middle. It seemed, as far as Toby could tell, to be dead, dropping sadly with only a few tiny, pale leaves left on its branches.

The most daunting thing, however, were the hundreds of fairies that all, in unison, turned to look down at them. Beautiful and breath-takingly gorgeous, all of them, their brilliant eyes like gem stones all focused on Toby. She wanted to sink through the floor, but even through her humiliation, she noticed something odd. Some of the fairies looked at her with obvious joy in their eyes, their happiness practically radiating from their faces. Others, however... they were like dark clouds, their scowls and mistrustful gazes making Toby avert her eyes with the strange feeling she'd done something wrong already.

"Come, you must meet the Queen," Verum said with a rustle of fluffy skirts, heading forward and quite obviously expecting Toby to do the same. The brunette balked, but then found Fizzybink standing at her side. He gave her a reassuring smile and she inhaled, feeling her confidence boulstered. She smiled gratefully, then turned and followed her fairy godmother-in-training.

As they passed near the withered tree, Toby couldn't help but linger, staring at it quietly. It reminded her of her pansies after she'd once forgotten to water them for the better part of a week. Upon finding her precious flowers wrinkled and withered, Toby had been heartbroken and sworn never to forget about them again. She hadn't, either, always taking impeccable care of the small buds. The tree looked like it hadn't received any caring attention in a very long time.

There was a sudden crack like a shot, making Toby start and look over. The giant doors had slitted open, pushed open by two fairies, both strong looking warriors in shades of bronze and deep brown.

It was the figure between the two guards, however, that drew everyone's gaze. She was tiny, even "full-sized" like she was, barely making five feet. Her hair was the color of the pale rose flush on a maiden's cheeks, her skin the color of fresh milk. She wore a long white dress that only made her look paler, diamonds and small sparkling stones set into the fabric and turning her into a dazzling, glittering figure, like the sunlight glinting off of freshly fallen snow. A white gold crown set on her brow, deep red rubies framing a diamond that Toby was sure put any other to shame in size or clarity.

The Fairy Queen practically floated through the steps and towards Toby, her eyes never leaving the girl's face. Toby felt her head swim, her vision filling with those deep red eyes. the color of crimson rose petals.

"All hail Queen of the Fairies, Rosepink the Magnificent," a rich velvety voice announced, and Toby was dimly aware of fairies upon fairies all bowing in time. Toby herself was frozen, her hands gripping the sword, which was suddenly as cold as ice, biting into her skin.

Rosepink paused in front of Toby, gazing up at the brunette with a face that at once seemed young as a girl's and old as a crone's, wisdom shining from its perfect curves. "You are our Princess, then?" she said in a voice that was high and clear yet strong, reaching up to even the highest balconies. The fairies seemed, as one, to lean forward, watching with anticipation... though, of what, Toby wasn't sure.

The Fairy Queen extended her hand. Toby stared at it for a moment before someone elbowed her. "_Kiss it_," Fizzybink hissed in her ear.

"Oh!" Toby exclaimed, louder than she'd meant to. Flushing in embarassment, she let go of Kjavaeos with one hand, stooping to take the Fairy Queen's hand and kiss the back of it, feeling the burden of hundreds of eyes watching her... judging her.

As soon as her lips had brushed that cool skin, however, there was a sudden pulse of light. Toby froze as a familiar tingling raced through her. The tiara? But... what? There was no danger here, of all places... The tiara didn't seem to listen to her mental confusion, pulsing again in light.

It was then that Toby noticed that the branches of the withered tree were thickening, flushing out as if infused with water, and... reaching out towards her. She let out a shriek as they wrapped around her, dragging her back towards the planter. "Toby!" Dom cried, drawing his sword and dashing forward.

"No!" Verum cut in, grabbing Dominic's arm and yanking him back. "Do not touch that plant with your sword!"

"But Toby--" Dom strained at the grip, but Fiz had stepped forward as well, his strong hnad curling about Dominic's upper arm. Toby stared at them in confusion, flailing against the vines. Why weren't they helping her?! The tree was dragging her back! She was going to be swallowed by an overgrown moss, and they were just standing there?! She yelled out for help, but no one moved to help her, even as the tree pulled her back against its trunk...

... and then abruptly released her. The tiara pulsed again, and Toby felt the tingling flow of magic washing through her and... into the tree? The trunk behind her suddenly thickened, losing its wrinkled look. The branches straightened, reaching towards the sky again, spreading even more as leaves, rich emerald in color, burst from their ends. Toby could only stare up above her as the tangle of bare twigs became a tall tree, lush with leaves, and complete with tiny white buds unfolding and untwisting from the ends of the branches.

The blossoms unfurled and Toby could almost hear the tree sigh with satisfaction as each delicate white flower opened fully, putting even their pale queen's beauty to shame.

Then the tree still, nearly three times larger than it had been, lush with life and beauty. Toby could feel the faint perfume of the flowers' scent tickling her nose and it refreshed her. For a moment she forgot the tree had just dragged her over to it, instead staring up at the sudden new life. It was the same satisfaction she'd seen when she'd nursed her pansies back to health, that quiet joy that they were alive and thriving.

"It's blooming again," someone whispered. "How long as it been?"

"Hundreds of years."

"Thousands!"

"Not since the last Princess. Not since Rosal--"

"Enough." The Fairy Queen held up one hand and the sudden flurry of whispers that had raced through the giant room ceased abruptly. "The Heart Tree is blooming again off of this girl's magic. She is a true Princess." Rosepink raised her arms and every eye, every ounce of attention, was on her. "In three days' time we will celebrate as we have not in many years. In three days' time we will welcome the Last Princess of Believe as befits her station, as befits the hospitality of the Fairy Court!

"In three days' time, I want to see all of your beautiful faces smiling back at me in the Court Hall. Now hurry, make ready. Take the Princess to the Royal Chambers. Find her a dress." The tiny fairy, who suddenly seemed the largest thing in the room, turned and smiled at Toby. It was a smile that made Toby uncomfortable, though she couldn't tell why. "After all, a Princess should look the part."

Then she turned and was gone into the doors again, leaving Toby's cheeks burning. 'Look the part'? What exactly did that mean? Flustered, she pushed herself away from the tree, finding, to her surprise, that the branches released her, brushing her with gentle carresses as she stood and moved towards Verum and the others. Dominic was immediately gripping her shoulders, glancing over her as if to make sure she was okay, then hugging her tightly. She didn't understand boys at all, really didn't.

"Please," she said, finally managing to find her voice. "I'm so tired. I need to sleep, please."

Toby felt like she was going to pass out at any moment. She had no idea if it was the tree drawing on her magic or all of the eyes staring at her or even the slight glint she'd seen in the Fairy Queen's eyes as she turned and swept from the room, a glint that spoke clearly of just how little was actually expected of Toby. Wavering on her feet, she nearly fell over, until Dominic stepped forward, sweeping her up into his arms.

"Lead the way," he said to Fizzybink, cutting off any objections that sprang to Toby's lips.

Fizzybink nodded and turned, leading the way down a side hallway, deeper into Avalon. Toby surrendered, letting herself be carried towards her room, just closing her eyes and resting her cheek against Dominic's shoulder. It felt good to have him back. She should just be grateful he had come after her, not worry about all the rest of the complicated stuff. It wasn't like she had time to think about normal stuff like boys and dating. Not with the entourage that was now following her, or the expectations of an entire world of recently awakened denizens, all looking to her to miraculously fix their problems.

Before they'd even reached the room, Toby had slipped off to sleep, still gripping Kjavaeos tightly in her hands.


	23. Chapter 23

(( Disclaimer: This story is completely original. All characters, settings, and events are spawned from my own mixed up little mind and may not be used, copied, or adapted without my express written permission. Do not steal my story!!!

Note: I rather imagine Dominic looking like a black-haired Wesley in this chapter... :D ))

**23.**

When Toby awoke, it was to the sensations of silk against her skin and the warmth of a soft bed. Opening her eyes, she found herself in a tumble of blankets and pillows, a gentle light infusing the room about her. It was a large room, as far as Toby was used to, lit with crystals on tall, twisted branch brackets. She sat up, rubbing her eyes, looking about the circular nest of blankets and cushions that made up the bed she was in, a gauzy curtain draped from the circle around the bed. Kjavaeos was laying on a pillow next to her head.

Pulling it back, she peeked out into the room, seeing tables, a futon, and .. a beautiful dress lying on one of the futons. Realizing that she was still in her clothes from several days previous, she slid from the bed, making sure to grab the sword. For some reason the idea of it being out of arm's reach made her slightly uncomfortable, maybe because she knew what the Troll Queen would do to her if she lost or misplaced it.

There was a small note on the dress that said, simply, "Bath behind door to the right."

She looked towards the right and sure enough there was a small wooden door. When she opened it, she found a small stone bathing room, complete with steaming hot water in its large stone tub. Toby sighed in happiness and set about getting clean, not bothering to wonder how the water stayed hot. Magic certainly had its perks.

After a long, wonderfully hot bath, she tried on the dress. It fit as if it had been made for her, out of a soft, deep green material. The bodice was snug without being tight, and the sleeves reached just past her elbows, flaring out slightly at the ends without being enough to bother Toby. The skirt flared around her ankles, and for several minutes she amused herself by turning in circles and watching it circle out around her. There was even a belt that went around it with a place for her to clip Kjavaeos to her hip, just like a true warrior. It made her slightly uncomfortable, all things considered. Finally settling down to the issue of her hair, she located a hairbrush, also thoughtfully placed near a reflective part of the wall, like stone that had been polished into a mirror.

She had just finished combing out her hair and was starting to wonder what to do from there when there came a knock on the door. "Come in," she called, turning to look over her shoulder.

The door opened and in stepped Dominic, a tray brimming with food and a pitcher in his hands. For a moment Toby just stared at him; she hardly recognized him. He'd traded his designer jeans and faded logo T-shirt for a pair of black deerskin pants and a matching vest over a simple white shirt. Hanging from his belt was a sword slightly larger than Kjavaeos was.

He looked more like a knight out of those fairy tales she'd read as a child than her childhood friend and companion.

Dominic looked up at her with those piercing blue eyes and it was his turn to stare. Toby flushed under the scrutiny. "... what?" she asked, irritated.

He grinned, that same old knock-the-sky-down light to his eyes, and Toby was relieved that at least hadn't changed. Walking over to her, he set the tray down on the table, shrugging with one shoulder. "It's just that.. you hardly look like yourself anymore, Tobes. You really look like a princess."

Toby cast a glance at the reflection staring back at her, noting the tiara that didn't seem to feel the need to go back invisible, the lack of glasses, the distinctly un-Tobias-like clothing. She looked back at Dominic. "It's still me, though. I'm the same old Toby."

"No, you're not," Dom said thoughtfully, sliding into a seat next to the table. Toby couldn't resist the food, and disregarding propreity and niceities, started digging into the food even as he gazed at her. "It's like all this has reached in and found that Tobias that I always knew was in there -- the strong, confident one -- and brought her out to the surface."

Toby nearly laughed. "I do _not_ feel strong _or_ confident. I feel completely out of my league and in over my head."

Dominic chuckled softly. "Toby, you were just kidnapped by trolls, faced down the Troll Queen herself, and had dozens of Fairies staring at you. All of that is so far out of the old Toby's boundaries... And in three days' time you're going to be the star of your very own ball. Everyone will be looking at you."

Toby groaned. "Oh god, don't remind me." She shoved a grape in her mouth, chewing fiercely for a moment before looking back at Dominic. "Do they seem.. happy to have me here?" Her mind flashed back to the mixture of emotions she'd seen on the Fairies' faces and she felt a knot of nervous twist in the base of her stomach, especially when she thought of the disapproving glint in Rosepink's eyes.

Dominic shifted, in a way Toby recognized as his 'I'm-buying-time' gesture. She narrowed her eyes at him and he sighed. "I'm not sure, Tobes. I think... I'm getting the feeling that there's something else going on here. Like a struggle that no one wants to actually acknowledge. As far as I can tell, there are Fairies that are absolutely ecstatic you're back... and then Fairies who seem to think you coming back is something bad. I'm not sure."

Toby sighed. "Great, just what I need. I don't know who or what is trying to make me disappear, and now I find out that half of the Fairies -- my biggest supporters, supposedly -- don't even want me around. Grand."

"Hey, look at it this way. At least they're not hiding it from you," Dom pointed out, pouring himself a cup of liquid from the pitcher. Toby poured herself a cup as well then took an experimental sip. It was fruity, like a mixture of berries, but not as sweet. Toby had never had anything like it before, but it was good, so she finished off the cup. "Oh yeah, before I forget, Verum told me to give this to you." Dominic pulled out a small rolled scroll and handed it to Toby.

Toby eyed the scroll before breaking the seal and unfurling it. On it, in flowery script, was a note that read _Princess, when you awake please come to my quarters. We need to discuss what needs to be done before your official Coronation. Simply ask any guard and they will direct you through the Courts. With highest regards, Verum Veritas Vemuris._

Toby groaned, her head sinking to the table. She wished the floor would just swallow her up. Dominic rescued the scroll from her, scanning it before looking up at Toby. "Hey, I'm sure it'll be no big deal. It's just you getting a crown put on your head, right?"

"I've _got_ a tiara already, and it's a royal pain in the rear. I don't need anything else!"

"And a broken sword," Dominic pointed out, and Toby shot a glare at him.

"You're not helping."

"Sorry," he said with a chuckle, then stretched his arms over his head. "I should be off soon. I've still got a lot of training to do..." Toby fidgeted with the end of one sleeve, before looking up at him.

"So... you're like her... apprentice now?"

"It's called a Squire, Tobes," Dominic said with a soft chuckle, though it died when he noticed the look on her face. One eyebrow arched. "Before you say anything... I'm sorry for the way I acted before. I just.. I've always been the one protecting you, looking out for you. I guess I didn't deal well with the fact that this wasn't something I could protect you from. But I realized that taking it out on you isn't going to help. So I asked Georgette to accept me as her Squire. At the very least, now I won't be as useless to you if you need someone to do some swinging of a sword for you."

Toby stared at him for a moment before sighing. "You're forgiven. But next time you're such a jerk to me I'm going to get Theo to turn you into jerk fricasee."

Dominic didn't laugh, wrinkles appearing in his brow. "Do you really think it's such a good idea to trust him? I mean, after everything everyone has told me about dragons..."

Anger swelled up in Toby. "Don't you start too!" she snapped. "I don't want to hear it. There is nothing evil or malicious about Theo -- it's attitudes like that that make it so hard for him to prove just how good he is! Honestly, I don't blame him for being angry. I've dealt with people thinking all my life that I was useless and boring, and I understand how much having people think so little of you can hurt. I thought you of all people would understand, too."

Dominic flinched. "All right, all right, I'm sorry. Just.. be careful."

"I don't _need_ to be careful. I trust him," Toby replied through gritted teeth and Dominic held up his hands as if to ward off or quell her anger.

"Okay. Fine. We'll drop the subject. Just finish your breakfast. You're going to need it."

Toby dug into her breakfast again, more than happy to stop talking about it. She didn't like the fact that Dominic and Theo didn't seem to get along, but she understood it. Or at least she thought she did. Still, her thoughts turned to the dragon, and the sword still strapped to her hip. Would he still talk to her, now that she was carrying the sword that did such harm to his people? Toby sighed softly. It seemed like she solved one problem only to have a dozen more pop up.

Well, she thought, with determined optimism. At least things with Dominic seemed fixed. With that mindset, she continued eating, conversation with Dominic turning to lighter, happier topics.


	24. Chapter 24

**24.**

Verum's quarters were exactly like Toby expected. First of all, they were up another ridiculously long set of winding stairs. The fairy godmother-in-training's rooms were set on no less than five different levels, with various stairways, ramps, and ladders spanning the distances, which varied from a step up to about five feet up. Toby was reminded of one of those hampster houses she'd seen in a pet store.

In every spare space, stacked high against the walls all the way up to and indeed around the various paintings and wall-hangings, were various scrolls, books, and parchments in a littered mess. Various things like feathers, bottles with unknown teeth and other items in them, and boxes of every size and shape, were scattered amongst the stacks.

Verum herself was sitting in amongst a pile of books, a huge, dusty looking one open across her knees. Toby blinked at Verum. "Good to see you're no longer small, furry, and big-eared."

The silver-haired young woman looked up at Toby and blinked. "Oh, that only lasts as long as I'm wet."

Toby couldn't help but laugh softly, shaking her head. "I'm sorry, but... you turn into a rabbit every time you get wet? Isn't that a bit.. inconvenient? Do you have to make sure you carry an umbrella with you all the time?

Verum tilted her head, tapping her lower lip. "Well. It's not _plain_ water that does it. It has to be special water from a spring with a willow tree growing near it collected under the full moon and stored in a glass bottle with rose petsals in it." Toby stared at her, opened her mouth, then closed it, deciding it was better not to say anything. She shook her head and Verum giggled at her. "Everything has a weakness, even fairy godmothers in training."

"I suppose that's a good thing," Toby replied, though quietly she wondered how anyone figured out such a strange and convulted weakness as that.

"Well, Princess, I'm glad you're here. We have so much to talk about." Verum suddenly flounced to her feet and immediately started flinging papers all over. "We have to talk about what you'll wear, who you'll go with -- Fizzybink, of course, as is only proper -- what your title is going to be, if you want to ride in on Valiance, oh, dear, there's just so much to do!" She hummed happily, dancing about Toby as the brunette stood there in mortified horror.

"No no no!" Toby grabbed Verum mid-flounce, resisting the urge to shake her. "Look. No fancy ceremony. I want as few people to be there as you can possibly get without majorly offending anyone. Just say the stupid words and let me get back to trying to be as invisible as possible, okay?"

Verum blinked at Toby. "But... you're a Princess. You're the very epitome of not-invisible, dearie."

"I didn't ask to be a Princess," Toby said with the feeling that she and Verum had had this conversation many times and probably would continue to have it. Verum just didn't seem to understand that Toby didn't want all the pomp and circumstance that most royalty seemed to desire. Or at least be used to.

Verum tapped her lower lip. "Fine. A small ceremony before the Ball. Just the Queen, Fizzybink, and a couple of other important nobles."

"Thank you," Toby said, relief creeping over her. At least there was that...

"Well, now that's settled, how are you liking Avalon?" Verum turned to look at Toby, her eyes sparkling. "Happy to see Dominic back, perhaps...?"

Toby wrinkled her nose. What was she implying, anyway? "I guess. I just hope he doesn't fall on his sword or anything like that. I'd hate to have to explain that to his mother. She likes me, but I don't think she likes me _that_ much..." She meandered among the stacks of paper, glancing over them idly. They seemed to be on diverse of topics and in diverse of languages as any library's collection back in the mundane world.

Mundane world. Now she was even talking like them.

"I'm glad you have a proper Knight. Not that Georgette isn't, but she's got her hands full, what with Theo and everything..."

Toby looked up at Verum, one eyebrow arching. "What do you mean, 'with Theo'?"

Verum blinked at Toby. "No one's told you? Georgette is Theo's foster mother. Or at least as much as a mother as you can be to a giant lizard like that. She's the reason that Theo is able to live here in the Fairy Court like he does."

Toby tried to imagine a giant blue dragon fitting into Avalon and failed miserably. Still, she shook her head, her brow furrowing. "But why do they..."

"Fight? Simple, really. Georgette has no attention for anyone or anything that isn't a good warrior. It isn't that she thinks less of scholars and the like, it's just that she has nothing in common with them. So she just wastes no time making small talk. So Theo seeks her attention the only way he knows how -- by fighting her."

"Oh," Toby said quietly. In an odd sort of way, it made perfect sense. She knew sometimes she wondered if her own mother cared about her because she wasn't as interesting or crazy as Dominic and Dominic's mother were.

"But, enough of him. He'll be gone soon enough," Verum said with a dismissive wave of her hand, apparently content that the subject had been given all of the time that was necessary for it.

"What? Gone? What do you mean?" Toby couldn't help the alarm that shot through her. Apparently it was more alarm than was warranted, because the fairy godmother-in-training looked over at her with another one of those disapproving frowns. Toby hated those frowns. It was the same one she'd fixed on Toby and Theo when they were sitting talking on the back porch swing.

"Well you can't expect us to want him around a Princess all the time. He's already tried to kidnap you once, we can't know what he'll do next."

Toby's stomach twisted into knots of anger and sudden fear, though she wasn't sure what she was afraid of. "What gives you the _right_ to do that?!"

Verum frowned at her again and it only made Toby angrier. "I'm your fairy godmother..."

"In _training_," Toby spat. "And you know, with the track records you fairy godmothers seem to have, I think my luck is better off with the "evil" dragon."

"What are you talk--"

"When were you planning on telling me that the real reason that the Fairy Godmother isn't around and I get an apprentice is that she went _rogue_ and is in all likelyhood the one who's trying to make me disappear? Don't you think that would be good knowledge for me to have just in case she decides to show up again?"

Verum frowned. "She hasn't gone rogue."

"Then why did she break the trolls' most valuable possession?" Toby patted the sword hanging from her belt emphatically.

"We don't know," Verum admitted with a sigh. "But if there is one thing I can tell you, Princess, is that the Fairy Godmother would _never_ try and make you disappear. That's the last thing she would have wanted. The Princesses' disappearances... she obsessed over them. She was determined to find out who was responsible so that there would be Princesses once more."

"So it's okay that she broke Kjavaeos because she was just trying to help? Does it also make it okay for you to just send away someone who's important to me just because of 'maybe's or 'what if's?" Toby's hand had curled around the sword's hilt, and to her it seemed warm against her skin. Probably just her imagination.

"... fine. He can stay, but I don't want you alone with him at any time. We have too much riding on you, Tobias. You're too important, we can't take any chances," Verum said in a soft, soothing voice that did nothing to soothe Toby's ire.

"So now I can't take care of myself?! You're ridiculous!"

Verum pulled back, blinking at Toby. "Why are you getting so mad? I said he didn't have to go."

The brunette realized she was clenching the sword tightly, so she forced herself to relax. "... I think I should be going," she said, finally. She was frustrated with herself, too. Why did it seem like every time she ran into someone she ended up yelling at them? This was all too much drama, too much work. Isolation was so much nicer...

"Princess, I.. I realize that all this has been very difficult on you and that you're very stressed. Perhaps... Perhaps you should try something relaxing. There are caves beneath the Courts that have heated pools. How about a nice, hot, quiet dip?"

That actually did sound really nice. Toby considered for a moment, then regarded Verum with a stern eye. "And no mention of anything 'Princess' related. And!" she held up one finger to interject before Verum could say anything else. "I want a book to read."

The corner of Verum's mouth twitched and she clasped her hands in front of her. "Certainly, Princess. Consider it done."


	25. Chapter 25

(( AN: Enjoy your double-special. I'm going to be napping at lunch tomorrow. ))

**25.**

A hot dip in the caves beneath the hallways of the Court had sounded wonderful and relaxing, and to Toby's delight it was even better than it had sounded. No one apparently came to the caves -- whether it was because it was a 'reserved' area or for some other reason, Toby didn't know. She wasn't about to question it, either, just be grateful for the solitude, the silence, and the lantern and book that her maid left before scurrying off. At least Verum seemed to have understood Toby's desire to be alone for a bit.

When she finally emerged several hours later, her skin a rosy pink and her fingers and toes wrinkled and pruny, it was in a much happier state of mind and with renewed determination. She had a plan. It was a simple plan, but a good one. She'd be the Princess until they found another Princess. Then she'd give up her title and her tiara and go back to being plain old Toby. That way, everyone won. The land of Believe got their Princess, and she got her solitude back.

So it was with a spring in her step that she headed back towards her room through the halls of the Court.

That spring had faded a few minutes later when she realized... she had no idea where she was. When the maid had lead her down there'd been more than a few twists and turns, but Toby had thought that she'd remembered them all. Apparently she hadn't.

Toby groaned, reaching down and running her thumb along the hilt of Kjavaeos. What a way for the last Princess in the land of Believe to go, starving to death while wandering around in search of stairs or some other sign that she was headed in the right -- in other words, upwards -- direction.

She rounded a corner, stopping suddenly when she found herself in a room unlike the others. This one had a merry fire burning in a large central pit, a pile of blankets and pillows in another of those pit-beds like her own, though it had no curtain around it. There was a small stack of books to one side, as well as some dirty dishes that looked to have been from a meal earlier in the day. Someone lived here, then...?

"Toby? What are you doing all the way down here?"

She turned at the sound of Theo's voice, relief leaping through her. "Lost," she admitted with a faint smile, then glanced over her shoulder. "Is this..."

"Where the wonderful Fairies of Believe shove an unwanted lizard-boy? Yeah."

He walked past her, moving to sit down on the ground next to the fire. She frowned as she watched him. At least he didn't seem mad at her anymore. After a moment she followed him, sitting down next to him.

"It's cosy," she said with a smile. He smiled back at her. Then his eyes strayed to the sword resting at her side, and the smile disappeared. "Theo," Toby began, noticing, but he raised a hand and made a slicing motion to cut her off.

"It's fine. You couldn't exactly say no, right?"

"Oh, you've met the Jade Lady, then?" Toby chuckled dryly. "She told me that my tongue was amusing but that she was going to chop it off if I kept using it. I don't get trolls. One moment they were hero-worshipping me, the next they were trying to chop my head off. Makes no sense at all."

"Sure it does," Theo said with a grin. "Trolls _live_ for battle. It's what they thrive on. And so they expect all of their other enemies to do so. After all, if you're truly deserving of their hero worship, you should certainly be able to avoid decapitation."

Toby stared at him. "I... suppose that makes some sort of twisted sense. Hard to worship a headless Princess, after all." They both laughed and the sound made the fire-lit room seem a bit brighter.

They lapsed into a comfortable silence, Toby watching the flames leap. It was nice to see a regular orange-and-red fire, none of these blue or white or other unnaturally colored fires she'd seen so many of.

"Nervous?"

Toby looked over at Theo at his quiet question. "Scared silly," she admitted. "They're all.. looking at me and expecting all of these great things from me. I just know I'm going to disappoint them."

Theo turned back to the fire. "I know how you feel, though in my case they're all just waiting for me to disappoint them. Like your good friend Dominic."

Toby's brow furrowed. "I know he's been a bit of a jerk, but... he means well. He just doesn't know how to deal with things sometimes. Just give him a chance and he'll come around, I know it."

"I'm sure he'll do whatever you ask of him," Theo said, a quiet edge to his voice. Toby just stared at him for a moment, feeling like some of the warmth had bled from the room. She had heard that edge not too long ago, and the last time it had been with Theo at her side, too. But it hadn't been from him, it'd been from the prettiest blonde in the school.

"Are you... jealous of Dom?" she ventured, astonished. Theo twitched. "You are, aren't you?"

"I'm not," Theo muttered, but to Toby the words sounded hollow and false. She didn't tear her gaze from him, aware of the wrinkle in her brow.

"Why? Are you jealous because he's a Knight? Is that what you want? Because if that's what you want, Theo, I'll talk to Georgette. I'm sure she'll be able to figure something out. Between the two of us, I don't care how many fairies or fairy godmothers object, we'll--"

"Not because he's a Knight," Theo said suddenly, looking up at Toby. His beautiful blue eyes were a maelstrom of blue so dark it seemed almost black and a brilliant cerulean that put the sky to shame. "Look... I don't want to talk about it. Just... can we sit together for a bit more? I'll show you back to your room, but later."

Toby frowned. "Why don't you want to talk to me?"

"Because it'll only mess things up for you, Tobes, and that's the last thing I want," Theo said with a small smile. Toby grinned at him so suddenly that he looked at her in confusion. "What?"

"You called me Tobes."

Theo flushed. "Sorry..."

"No, no," Toby said with a soft laugh. "I like it. Keep doing it."

"Okay... Tobes." That deep blue-black had faded away in his eyes, leaving them nothing but that bright, intense blue. She'd never seen two pairs of blue eyes that were so different. Dominic's were icy blue, like the palest winter sky. Theo's were always a mix of blues, but usually that incredible azure.

She settled down to watch the fire again, relaxing once more in the warmth of the room. A moment passed before Theo scooted a bit closer to her with a slightly unsure smile. "You aren't cold, are you?"

"No, I'm okay," she said, leaning against him. Dropping her head to rest on his shoulder, she let out a happy sigh. "It's nice down here. No prying eyes, no hustle or bustle..."

"You can come down whenever you want," Theo offered. His shoulder was warm and comfortable against her cheek, and the silence was soothing. Part of her wanted to stay there forever.

"Thanks," she said. "But I wouldn't want to intrude."

"Eh, it's okay. I don't get visitors anyway, so it'd be a nice change of pace. Besides, I bet I have some books you haven't read..."

Toby gasped. "That's not fair! You can't use books against me!"

Theo chuckled and she could hear the rumble of it in his chest. She poked him in the side because his laughing jarred his shoulder against her cheek and he stilled obediantly. Satisfied, she settled down again, muttering, "don't worry, it's only a matter of time before I find _your_ weakness."

Theo didn't respond, and she looked up at him, for a moment worried that she'd upset him again. He always seemed to be mad about one thing or another. But he was looking down at her, the blue storm of his eyes vibrant in the semi-dark. He reached up and ran his fingers along the lock of brown hair that hung along her face. She could feel the heat of his hand near her skin.

"Too late," he murmured, his voice barely above a whisper. She felt her cheeks go hot. Wait, what was going on in her chest? Was that... was that _fluttering_ in there? No. No, because fluttering didn't happen unless--

He suddenly growled and was on his feet so swiftly that Toby nearly toppled over. Righting herself, she stared up at him in confusion. "You need to go now," he said, his voice a low growl. He was angry again, and she was lost, her heart still doing its little hoppy-skips in her chest.

"But--"

"Just go straight down the hallway. Take a right at the marble statue, go up the stairs, and there'll be a guard there." His back was still to her, and with him on the other side of the fire she couldn't see him well enough to tell what was going on.

"Theo--"

"_Go_."

Stung, and suddenly angry, she got to her feet. "Theodore, you are the most infuriating dragon I have ever met!" she spat at his back, then turned and stomped out of the room, her head reeling.


	26. Chapter 26

(( AN: I figure we only have half a dozen or so more chapters left. ))

**26.**

The next few days passed for Toby in a blur of new faces and names (apparently, she was supposed to meet and know every semi-important fairy in Avalon), dance lessons, dress fittings, etiquette, and even sword lessons with Georgette. She didn't understand how they were going to turn her into the perfect Princess in only three days but they seemed intent on trying. Toby found, to her delight, that she very much enjoyed her swordsmanship lessons and even had a natural knack for it -- at everything else, however, she was a lost cause.

The night of her official coronation arrived before Toby was even slightly ready. It didn't help that she found herself distracted, her thoughts often turning to what had happened her first night in Avalon and what it might have meant.

Luckily, Verum seemed to have taken Toby's request to heart and when she entered the throne room for her coronation there were only a dozen or so fairies instead of the hundred Toby had seen in her nightmares. The ceremony itself was painfully boring and, as far as Toby could tell, pointless, since she was already a Princess and even already had her tiara. Verum had let it slip that Georgette, according to tradition, had not been supposed to give Toby her tiara, but had done so anyway so that it would help protect Toby against the unknown threat.

Toby thought of the mass of vines that had once been her school and wondered if that'd been such a good idea after all.

After promising to be a good and "proper" Princess, to protect the land of Believe and all its denizens, and to honor the legacy left behind by the previous Princesses (whatever that meant), the Fairy Queen touched Toby's tiara, making it glow with a blindingly bright light before it faded again. There was silence for a moment before someone started clapping, triggering the rest of the audience out of their silence and into applause as well.

Then there was just the Ball to deal with. Well, that and finding a new Princess so she could go back to being boring, unroyal, plain old Toby.

Her dress was a pure white affair, trimmed in lace made out of some material that sparkled irridescent colors. The overall effect was a subtle shimmer and not blaring or dazzling, so Toby didn't object. It was, she thought to herself, the most beautiful dress she'd ever seen in her entire life, though she certainly didn't look forward to dealing with the full, rustling skirts. Like all of her outfits, it came complete with a silken belt to which she hooked Kjavaeos. She'd never bothered to question why she was supposed to have the sword with her at all times; for some reason, she didn't want to be without it, even at a Ball.

A glittering yellow fairy arrived to do her hair, gushing over how pretty Toby was and how long and thick her hair was and how wonderful it was that there was finally a Princess again, seeing as it'd been ever so boring and quiet with everyone asleep all the time. Toby just held still and let the Fairy -- Skisparkle -- babble.

When Skisparkle was done, Toby hardly recognized herself. The girl staring back at her from the mirror had big green eyes and long brown hair that was pulled up at the sides but then tumbled down around her shoulders and back in a mess of deep chocolate curls. The tiara that sparkled from her forehead only accented the slight shimmer of the dress, creating an overall affect that was quite... magical.

"I'm..."

"_Beautiful_," breathed Skisparkle. Toby couldn't help but smile.

"Thanks."

"It was my pleasure, Princess," the fairy said, curtseying deeply to Toby before gathering her things up again. "Your escort should be here soon, and I dare say as handsome as you are beautiful!" With that twittering giggle, she flitted off and Toby was left staring at a reflection she could barely believe was her own.

Her escort turned out to be none other than the royal Prince Fizzybink himself. He was ethereally handsome in his deep emerald tunic and pants, jeweled sword hanging from his belt, his long pale-green hair drifting around his shoulders as if continually teased by a stray wind.

He dipped in an intricate bow, holding one hand out to her. She felt her cheeks grow hot at the attention.

"May I have the pleasure of your company at the Ball this evening, Princess Tobias?" His eyes sparkled with playful pomp.

"It'd be a terrible shame to send you away when you even went to all of the trouble of putting a shirt on," she teased right back, placing her hand in his. He laughed, squeezing her hand as he straightened.

"I shall accept that jest with composure, Princess, considering you went to all the trouble of looking like a true princess if I've ever seen one."

Toby blew a stray curl from her face. "I'm sure Rosalind was prettier," she commented, off-handedly. Fiz's face froze, then twisted with pain, loss, and longing so intense that it nearly took her breath away.

"It was as if beauty itself had died on her lips and was reborn in her eyes."

Toby gazed at him quietly. "You loved her?"

Fiz nodded, then looked down at Toby, squeezing her hand again. "I did. Very, very much. But come now, such a sad conversation is not fit for this night. Tonight we celebrate -- you, life, and good friends!" His expression lightened again, but Toby's impression of him had changed. To bear such a burden of loving someone so much and not knowing what had happened to them, whether they'd lived or died... Toby couldn't imagine it. It made her chest hurt. So, with newfound respect for the dashing Fairy Prince, she summoned a smile to her face.

"All right, let's get this fiasco over with." He laughed and tucked her hand into the crook of his arm. He really was gorgeous, she thought as she smiled back at him.

"I promise to try and make this as painless as possible for you," he said with a grin. She eyed him.

"I think the only way this is going to be even remotely painless is if you hit me over the head a couple of times so I don't have to go and can instead just nurse my poor skull back to one piece."

Fiz laughed, the sound rippling throughout the room. "If that's the case, then this is going to be painful. But hopefully enjoyable nonetheless." He winked at her, then swept the curtain of the door back, leading her from the room and towards the noise and hubbub of the Ball.


	27. Chapter 27

(( AN: There ended up being a lot more love angst/drama in this than I expected. Oh well. We'll get back to the action shortly, promise! ))

**27. **

The Ball was exactly how Toby had envisioned it to be -- huge, brightly lit, totally packed, filled with gorgeous fairies and creatures of every sort of shape, and overwhelming. The sudden rush of sights, sounds, and unfamiliar faces made her grab Fiz's arm for support. They were all staring at her and it was all she could do not to turn and flee from all of those expectant, glittering gazes.

"Remember, Princess," Fiz said under his breath, as if sensing her distress, "they're all wishing they were you."

"Funny," Toby muttered in response. "I'm wishing I was anyone _but_ me right now."

There, at the head of the room, sitting on an elevated dias so that everyone could see her, was Rosepink, her pale hair tumbling about her shoulders. She was watching Toby and her son with those crimson eyes, waiting for them to come to her. The Queen reminded Toby of the Jade Lady, only instead of shades of green, she was in shades of vibrant scarlet, as red as rose petals.

The crowd parted in front of them and Toby concentrated on getting to her chair without passing out. The trek seemed to last forever. She could feel the weight of their gazes -- both happy and less than so to see her.

Sinking into her chair, she flashed Fiz a grateful smile, then was distracted when she caught sight of Dominic. He'd traded in the tunic and pants for a black and silver outfit that had all of the Fairies around him swooning, and with good reason. It wasn't right that he could look so very good. At least Fiz had the excuse of being a Fairy so being naturally and magically attractive.

As the attention that had all been turned to her was diverted elsewhere and the dancing and music resumed their pace, Toby breathed a sigh of relief and let herself relax just a little bit. Well, until Dominic's hand appeared in her line of vision.

She followed the curve of his arm up to his face. He was smiling at her. "Shall we see if you learned anything at those dance lessons?"

She shrugged and took his hand. "It's your feet you'll be losing."

Then off into the throng he lead her, sweeping her into the flow and the pace of the dancing so swiftly that she didn't have time to object or stiffen up. Laying her hand against his strong upper arm, she wondered at his sudden ability to dance. Had he always been so dashingly prince-like and she'd just never noticed? Come to think about it, she'd never noticed a lot about him. What he did in his spare time when he wasn't with her, his friends, the teams he'd played on. It'd always been about her, Toby, and she'd never bothered to change that. She felt suddenly guilty and grateful for his prescense. At least one thing hadn't changed in all the craziness that had ensued since her 'coronation' -- she still had Dominic to rely on.

"Hey," he said, smiling at her. "No being unhappy tonight."

She shook her head; he'd always been able to read her, but she was wondering if she was growing more and more transparent to him. "I'm not." Confused, tired, out of her league, yes... but sneaking amongst all of that was another feeling she wasn't used to. Purpose. A sense of belonging. She was actually starting to _like_ this Princess stuff.

"Good!" Then he spun her around, her long skirts twirling out despite the sword hanging from her belt.

After they'd danced for a time, she returned to her seat while he brought her a drink. She sipped at it, smiling at the Fairies that thronged around her as soon as she'd sat down, gushing about her dress and how handsome he was and how it made them so happy to see a Princess and her Knight together.

"After all," one Fairy, a symphony of purples and marroons, stated solemnly, "it's been so long since we had a Princess, much less a Princess with her own Knight. It makes me happy to see things are the way they're supposed to be."

Another Fairy twittered, flicking her long peach-colored hair over a white shoulder. "You're so lucky to have a Knight as perfect as Dominic, Princess."

"Yeah, I am lucky he's here," Toby acquiesed, though the more the Fairies giggled and whispered, the more uncomfortable she was feeling. She didn't mean to sound ungrateful or anything, but she'd rather expected Fairies to be a little less... vapid.

"So..." The first Fairy suddenly leaned forward, her voice conspiratorially low. "Has he kissed you yet?"

"_What?_" Toby jerked upright and the Fairy blinked.

"... he hasn't?" A third Fairy looked at her sympathetically, even reaching out and putting a hand on Toby's knee. "Oh, Princess, I'm sure he will..."

"What sort of relationship do you think Dom and I have?!" Toby demanded, her cheeks burning a scarlet to rival the Fairy Queen's dress. "He's a _friend_. Nothing more!"

"But..." The peach Fairy -- Didara, was it? -- looked over at the purple Fairy -- Viviletta. "Princesses and their Knights go together. That's just how it is. The Knights save the Princesses, win their hearts, the Princesses eventually marry them, then retire from being Princesses, and their daughters become the next Princesses. That's just how the Story goes."

"He's not even a Knight! He's a squire!"

Viviletta giggled and Toby was suddenly reminded very strongly of Julie. "He's not a Knight _yet_, anyway, but there's no need to rush these things..."

"I... I need to get some air. Excuse me." Toby stood up in a rustle of white skirts, turning and fleeing the Fairies and their expectations and giggles and everything else she'd thought she'd left back in Highschool.

Ignoring the fact that Rosepink was, once again, staring at her, she made her way through the crowd and finally found a small alcove with a potted plant she could stand behind. She ducked into it, leaning back into the shadows of the pot, trying to get her head back in order. They expected her to fall in love with and marry Dominic? Yes, he'd always been there for her, but wasn't that putting a lot on her shoulders? She hadn't even asked him to become a Knight, he'd done that all on his own.

_You don't realize how much he likes you_. Julie's words echoed in her ears again and she felt her chest constrict at it. She was right. Toby hadn't realized, not fully. She'd always known he cared about her, but... love? Somehow that terrified her even more than any of this 'Princess' stuff ever had.

"Hiding, again?"

She raised her eyes and found her gaze caught up by a kaleidoscope of cerulean and azure. All at once, all that confusion and headiness rushed back to her and she felt her heart forget a beat then race to catch up again.

Theo bowed -- awkwardly -- then held out a hand. It was the most cleaned-up she'd ever seen him and for a moment he didn't look like the spikey haired punk her mother had referred to him as, but a true gentleman. His outfit was nowhere near as fancy as Dominic or Fizzybink's, but that suited him. The tunic he'd pulled over a simple white shirt was a blue so dark it was only evident it wasn't black when the light struck it, trimmed with silver embroidery along the edges. His pants were a black, tucked into boots that hadn't been polished perfectly.

He was the handsomest man Toby had ever seen, and before she'd even realized she was doing it she'd put her hand in his.

When he went to pull her towards the dance floor, however, she balked. He looked at her, blinking. She was staring at the twirling fairies with their shimmering gowns and their beautiful smiles and frowning. Looking up at him, she smiled faintly.

"Neither of us belong out there. Let's fly the coop."

"Fly the what?" Theo asked, confused, but Toby wasn't listening to him. She'd gripped his hand firmly and was dragging him quite singlemindedly _away_ from the dance floor. This wasn't a movie, this wasn't a fairy tale. She wasn't going to be swept off her feet into the swirling skirts and have the music swell around her and everything be perfect. Everything wasn't perfect, and she wasn't the perfect Princess. Theo just followed her, blinking still, as she poked her head through the various curtains along the side of the massive ball room.

"Don't you think we should go back and dance or something?"

Toby eyed him. "You can if you want. I'm not."

Theo chuckled. "It's _your_ Ball..."

"It's not! It'd be 'my' Ball if I asked for it. But I didn't. I just wanted to be left alone. All this Princess stuff, all this Knight stuff, it's all too much for me. You guys should have picked a better Princess, someone like Julie who'd _love_ all of this stuff."

As she was saying such, she found a door -- an actual door like the ones to Rosepink's throne room and not the gauzy curtain-doors that the rest of Avalon used -- and shoved it open. The lock stuck and she put her shoulder against it, leaning her weight into it. Almost nonchalantly, Theo reached over and gave the door a light push. 'Light' being strong enough that the door swung open with a protesting squeal, a fine layer of rush on the hinges.

One of Theo's eyebrows arched. "Do you think we should be going in here?"

"It obviously hasn't been used in a while so no one will think to check for us in here. Now either shut up and come on or go find yourself a shallow little Fairy to dance with." Without a glance backwards, Toby gathered up her rustling skirts and stepped through the doorway. As if triggered by their entrance, crystals along the periphery of the room began to glow, softly at first but then more brightly.

The room was long and narrow, but filled with .. things. At first they just looked like the most random assortment of items -- she could see a plain wooden spinning wheel, a large mirror fringed with silver on a frame, a single red rose wrapped in black silk, even a pair of well-worn boots that seemed to be only big enough for a child. Each of them was sitting on a pedastal, a translucent curtain hanging around them as if to protect them.

"What is this place?" Toby asked, wandering amongst the items. Here, a single golden feather that made the air around it ripple as if it was scalding hot. Over there, a dainty pair of shoes encrusted with small sparkling pieces of glass.

"I don't know. But it's like a museum..." Theo replied, then paused in front of a large golden egg. "It _is_," he said with sudden realization in his voice. "All of these things... They belonged to Stories, to Princesses and Knights. This is the physical history of Believe. Here, this, this is the egg that the mischievous fairy Gricklegrack enchanted to make people stick to the farmboy Drummel. It was so ridiculous that the Silent Princess laughed, breaking the spell that had bound her entire town to never making a sound.

"And look, there -- that hand mirror. That belonged to Rosalinde herself. When she was locked away in the tower by her overprotective mother, that was the only connection she had to the outside world until she was freed. And there, those shoes. Those belong to the Princess of Cinders, Elsa. They freed her of the curse of clumsiness that her godmother had placed on her to get revenge for protecting her stepmother, allowing her to dance at the Ball and win the heart of Prince Caspus. All of this... Every item in here has been part of the Story, of the history of Believe."

He paused in awe, staring around him, and Toby couldn't help but let her eyes wander through the silent room that even now rang with echoes of the past. All of this history... It crashed like a sudden weight around her. Golden eggs, years locked in a tower, jealous godmothers... What part did someone as simple and un-magical as she hope to play that could even compare to any of this?

Toby sank to the ground, staring up at the shining mirror that had belonged to the infamous Rosalinde. She was the true Last Princess of Believe, Toby thought, because Toby herself was certainly no Princess.

"What am I doing, Theo?" she whispered. "I'm not a Princess. I'm not anything... I can't be what they want me to be, who they want me to be... What am I even doing pretending?"

Theo crossed to her, kneeling in front of her. "Hey," he said softly, reaching out and tilting her chin up to look at him. "Listen to me. You don't have to be anyone but who you are, Toby. It doesn't matter how Princess or un-Princess-like that is. Just be yourself."

"But... all of the other Princesses... They were so.. _perfect_."

Theo chuckled softly. "Do you really think that? Toby, all of them had flaws. They were real people just like you are. Why, Rosalinde couldn't dance to save her life. Every time she stepped on a dance floor, no less than a dozen people around her would walk away with injured feet."

Toby couldn't help but smile slightly. "Really?"

"Oh yeah. It was terrible. We never had Balls when she was around because no one could bear the thought of having to dance with her." Theo chuckled softly. "And Princess Elsa? Why, she was _deathly_ afraid of horses. She couldn't even be near one or she freaked out. It was such a pain getting her around places. Then there was Princess Snowpea. _She_ was a real piece of work. No matter how many mattresses or blankets or pillows you threw down, she was never happy. She would complain all morning about how terrible a sleep she had... She was not a morning person, you see."

He paused when Toby smiled, an honest smile, and reached out, cupping her cheek with a small grin. "That's better. You're not as pretty when you're frowning, your face gets all wrinkly like an old woman's."

"What?! It does not!" She slapped his hand away in a huff, but then ruined her false-anger with laughter a moment later. "I guess I could be worse. At least I can dance well enough."

Theo grinned. "When you aren't running away..."

Toby shook her head, one hand sliding down to adjust Kjavaeos as it rested against her side. Then she pushed herself to her feet, brushing out her long skirts. "You can't really talk, by the way. You're the one who ran away from me last time..."

Theo stiffened. "... that's different."

"Oh? How is it different? One moment we're talking just fine, then you freak out on me. I have no idea what's going on in your head, Theodore. You and Dominic! Neither of you talk to me. It's so frustrating." She sighed, blowing a stray curl of chocolate brown out of her eyes.

Theo stood as well, but was staring away from her again. There he went, once more... "Hey," she said, reaching out and grabbing his arm. "Don't turn away from me."

He moved with a fluid grace, turning and stepping towards her. Her breath caught in her throat as his hand found her chin, cupping it and tilting it up so her eyes were inches from his captivating blue ones. "I have to," he said in a voice barely above a whisper. "Because I can't look at you knowing that I can't be close to you."

"Says who?" she replied, her voice trembling finely. "Verum? The Fairy Queen? I don't care what they say, Theo. I don't think you're evil and I don't think you'd ever hurt me. I trust you."

"You shouldn't. I can barely trust myself around you." He smiled faintly, his thumb running along the curve of her jaw. His touch made her heart forget what it was supposed to be doing, that stupid fluttering back, and worse than ever. "All my life I've wanted to be part of the Story, Toby. But there's no room for a dragon except one for the Knight to slay. There's certainly no place for one at the Princess's side."

He stepped back, dropping his hands from her, and his eyes were unbearably sad. "Maybe it was silly of me to think I could be part of the Story at all."

"Stop it, Theo. Don't you dare talk like that," Toby hissed through clenched teeth. She wouldn't let him back away from her this time. She was tired of him always running away from her. She was tired of all of these questions and no answers. This time she wasn't going to let him get away until she had the answers she wanted. "You know what? I'm a Princess. I decide what the Story is going to be. And if I decide that there's a place for the dragon right in the middle of the Story -- on the good side -- then there is. And everyone else who objects can just go stuff their head in a gopher's hole."

"... a gopher's hole?" Theo repeated, and Toby blushed.

"I couldn't think of a better metaphor, all ri--" He cut her off by suddenly moving in towards her and she was keenly and acutely aware of the silence of the room broken only by her thudding heart. "--ght..." she breathed, his hands sliding to her bare shoulders.

"You're adorable when you blush," he whispered, his lips inches from hers and she found herself standing on her tippy toes. Her brain was somewhere in the background, screaming for her to hold on a second and think through this decision, but it was impossible to heed it when he was leaning in towards her and their lips were so close she could feel his breath and they--

"What, praytell, is going on here?"

Rosepink's voice was soft, unnaturally calm, but it was like a whip cracking through the silence. Theo jerked away from Toby guiltily, leaving both of them staring at the slim crimson-clad figure standing framed by the relics around her. Her eyes were like twin rubies, glittering with a cold anger in the semi-light of the room and Toby felt her throat close up.

"Nothing, your majesty," she said, but her voice sounded tiny and tinny in her ears. The Fairy Queen ignored her and instead looked at Theo.

"I have been forced to allow you to reside here in Avalon because of the nature of your foster mother and her importance to our land. I have allowed you many freedoms that you, by your very nature, do not deserve. Do not think, even for a second, that those allowances mean you are accepted or even welcomed here. Return to your room immediately, dragon, and do not disobey me in this. Otherwise Avalon's doors will no longer be open to you -- Georgette or no."

"You can't--" Toby began, outraged, but Theo grabbed her hand and squeezed it so tightly it was painful. She looked up at him, but he was staring at the Fairy Queen.

"It's fine," he said under his breath to her, then bowed that awkward bow again to the Fairy Queen. Toby's lips moved but she could find no voice to utter a protest as he turned and strode from the room, making the curtains curl with his passing.

Then he was gone and it was only Toby and the Fairy Queen gazing at her with those crimson eyes. Rosepink extended a hand to Toby, suddenly kindly. It made Toby's stomach twist in knots of dread, though she didn't quite know why.

"Walk with me, little Princess. We have much to discuss."


	28. Chapter 28

(( AN: I realized the other day that I never did explain why Verum turned into a fluffy little rabbit when the water was dumped on her. That was supposed to happen in her and Toby's last little conversation. I've edited Chapter 24 to include that, so go back and check out the four or five new paragraphs. Can't have that hanging over people's heads! ))

**28.**

"Has anyone told you how Georgette came to be Theodore's foster mother, Princess?"

Toby raised her eyes to look at the Fairy Queen, her brow furrowing. Rosepink had led her from the room filled with Believe's history through a side-door that she hadn't noticed before. It had connected them directly to the Throne Room. Toby was sure it would have been a beautiful room, except for the quiet oppressiveness hanging heavy in the air. The red curtains hung too low, too motionless, and the lack of light in the room made the shadows cast by the few fires flit and creep along the walls unnervingly. The large, ornate throne at the head of the room sat high on a dais, watching over everything with a stern air.

Rosepink had immediately ascended to her throne and there she sat, running her fingers along an ornately-carved wooden box sitting on the arm of her throne at her right hand. Toby swallowed, shifting uncomfortably on her feet. Her tiara felt cold against her brow.

"No," she finally conceded. The Queen smiled, crimson eyes glittering. Toby had the nagging feeling she'd seen those eyes before, somewhere...

"Georgette was sent to a small town after we received a plea for aid. She found there that a mother dragon had taken up residence in a nearby cave and was slaughtering the villagers, using them to teach her fledgling to kill and enjoy the taste of blood. Nearly a dozen townsfolk had already been lost."

She relaxed back in her seat and Toby wondered if she was imagining the satisfaction she saw in the red Queen's eyes. "Georgette fought the dragon, who was a very old and powerful dragon, and in doing so nearly lost. Her dear Valiance was severely injured in the fight. As she was bandaging the Pooka, the fledgling -- your darling Theodore -- appeared, drawn by the smell of Valiance's injuries. He attacked Georgette, but instead of killing him, she, for whatever reason, took him under her wing.

"Since then he has been nothing but a nuisance. Whether you want to admit it or not, Princess, he has blood on his muzzle. He's a killer; it's in his very nature."

Toby's throat was painfully tight, furious retorts all vying for exit. Instead, she kept her tongue. "Why are you telling me this?"

The Queen smiled, kindly. It made Toby uncomfortable -- guilty, almost, as if she didn't deserve such kindness. "I just do not wish to see you make a terrible mistake, Princess. Others before you were born to be Princesses and knew these things before they were given such a responsibility -- your situation is quite... unique."

"I'm trying my best," Toby replied, defensively. Rosepink gazed at her sympathetically.

"Of course you are, child. But the Story is so very big and you... well, you were an accident. Like an ink splotch on the page of the Story." She glided to her feet and down the stairs towards Toby. "How do you think poor Verum feels? She spent so much time and energy planning this Ball to honor you, only to have you disappear in the middle of it. What will everything think of that? And with you running off with a _dragon_ no less? Poor Verum..."

Toby's stomach twisted in knots. Rosepink, with her cold eyes, was right; Verum was going to be disappointed in her, she just knew it. And Dominic... She'd completely run off on him without even a word of warning. Now even Theo was hurt and upset, and it was all her fault for not leaving things well enough alone, for not letting him keep that distance he'd wanted to maintain.

"I didn't... I wasn't trying to..."

"Shh, it's okay," Rosepink soothed. "It's not your fault. You're just in over your head... This is just all so much bigger than you. You're just a normal girl..."

"I am...! I'm not meant to do this! I... I can't!" Toby's hands clenched, agitatedly. Even the Queen could see it. Even the Queen of the Fairies knew that she wasn't meant to do this, that she couldn't do it. If she could see it so clearly, how many others had seen Toby tonight and been disappointed? How many others had come away with lowered expectations? Tears burned in the corners of her eyes. "I'm not... I'm not a Pr..." she choked on her tears, raising her hands to her eyes.

"Not what, Toby? Go ahead, you can say it..." Rosepink's soft voice was encouraging, one of her slim hands stroking Toby's hair in a reassuring fashion. "You can't be what you're not. You shouldn't even try."

"You're right, I'm not a Prin--" Toby whispered, then paused. She raised her head, looking up at Rosepink with tears sparkling on her cheeks. "Wait, what?"

The Fairy Queen's face twisted in irritation for a half second before she smoothed it over, smiling gently at Toby. "Go ahead and say it. It's all you need to do, Toby. Just admit you aren't a Princess... There's no shame in it."

"No," Toby said. Realization sunk like a rock through her, crashing to the pit of her stomach. She couldn't give this up. She couldn't turn her back on Theodore and Verum and Fizzybink and everyone else. Then they would be even more disappointed in her, and she couldn't bear the thought of it. "No, you're right. I shouldn't try to be what I'm not. But I _can_ be a Princess. Just not the type of Princess you want."

Rosepink's eyes were twin rubies, hard and glittering. "Just admit what we both know, Toby. You're not a Princess. Just say the words."

Toby took a half-step back. "Why? Why is it so important I say it?" The Fairy Queen didn't answer, fury wrinkling her beautiful face. Quite suddenly and quite certainly, Toby knew where she'd seen that face before -- in every single nightmare that had plagued her since she'd donned her tiara and began this whole crazy adventure.

"Oh my god. It's you. You're the one who made the Princesses disappear. Is that how you did it? Make them admit they're not a Princess?"

"It doesn't matter how I did it. Only that I did it, Tobias," Rosepink said, the false warmth and kindness fading from her face. She didn't move towards Toby but folded her arms in front of her, staring at the brunette without blinking. Toby was reminded of a cat, cool and collected, just watching a mouse across the room, and she very, very much wished she was not that mouse.

"But... But why? Making the Princesses disappear... all it did was plunge this land into a sleep! How does that possibly help you?" Toby demanded, bewildered. "Because of you everyone has forgotten magic and the Story and everything that the land of Believe stands for!"

"Oh, it helped me. I will see this land reborn without all the vapid, shallow, self-serving little twits we call Princesses." She began to walk forward slowly, making Toby back up with each step, a dangerous dance across the floor. "All of you Princesses, showing up and messing everything up. It doesn't matter how simple or how perfect things are, the Princesses have to ruin everything they get their pampered little paws on. I practically handed everything to you for a perfect Story -- a fairy godmother, a perfect Knight-to-be, even a dragon to slay. But you can't just accept what you're given. No, no... You have to get on your high horse and start preaching the goodness inherent in an oversized lizard. It's the same with all of you Princesses, thinking you know best when you most certainly do not, refusing to those who are older and certainly wiser than you are.

"No more, Tobias. I will not let my land be tainted by silly, stupid humans anymore. We Fairies have always been the heart and power of the land of Believe. I will see to it that we no longer have to depend on disappointments such as yourself for life. Even eternal sleep is better than wakefulness soiled by Princesses."

Toby's back hit the large, solid doors of the Throne Room, her fingers pressing flat against it, searching for a door knob desperately even though her mind knew there would not be one to find. The Fairy Queen smiled -- a cold, heartless smile.

"I am sorry it has to be this way. Disappearance from the Doubting is painless and quick. However, now we will have to do things the hard way... Unfortunate, for you anyway, but I will have what I desire." Like a viper, she struck, her slim, cool hand wrapping around Toby's wrist. Turning, she began to drag Toby back towards the throne.

"Let go of me! Stop!!" Toby dug her heels in. She didn't know why Rosepink wanted her back towards the throne but she wasn't about to give in and let the Fairy Queen have her way. Her heart thudded, and suddenly her tiara began to shine. For the first time since she'd gotten it, Toby was incredibly glad for the crystal and silver circlet. It would defend her. It would stop Rosepink or stall her long enough for Toby to get help and then everything would be okay.

Rosepink laughed, shattering the happiness that had welled up in Toby. "Please. Do you really think such a trinket will harm me? I _made_ that tiara." With complete calm, she reached over and clenched her fist around the tiara.

There was a sharp cracking noise and Toby felt like she'd been punched in the gut, doubling over in time to see small bits and pieces of crystal falling to the smooth stone beneath her feet. Her head reeled, the magic lashing back and hitting her instead of protecting her. No one had said anything about it backfiring...!

The room pitched around her dangerously, but she could still sense herself being dragged forward, yanked up onto the dais.

Rosepink had opened the box and inside was a small wooden spindle, like the one that had been missing from the end of the plain wooden spinning wheel in the hall of artifacts. Her hand gripped Toby's wrist calmly as she delicately picked up the sharp-pointed cone. If Toby was remembering her fairy tales correctly, and they'd been passed down correctly, that spindle had been cursed by an evil witch to kill the Princess whose finger was pricked on it.

"No!" Toby cried out, fumbling for Kjavaeos. She drew the broken blade of the sword, swinging out in one smooth motion.

The Fairy Queen released her, jerking back as a long, thin line of brilliant crimson formed along one previously perfect cheek. Her ruby eyes widened, fury burning like a wildfire in those depths as she reached up delicately with one finger. "You _cut_ me..."

Toby held the half-sword out in front of her. "I'll do more than cut you if you come near me again."

Rosepink stepped forward, so fast Toby's words hadn't even died out of the air before she'd backhanded the sword, sending Kjavaeos's hilt spinning out of the brunette's hands to clang to the ground, sliding into a corner. Then the Fairy Queen yanked Toby forward.

"_No!_" Toby fought her, but the Queen was older, stronger. Better. Calmly, as if Toby wasn't thrashing and flailing and trying to get away, she raised Toby's hand and jabbed the end of the spindle into the middle of Toby's hand. Toby cried out at the sudden sting, jerking back. The Queen released her and she tumbled down the dais into a heap on the ground, gripping her bloody palm.

The pink-haired Fairy was watching Toby, expectantly.

"I'm sorry it had to be this way, Tobias, but I won't have you ruining my plans, and I certainly won't have you ruining my land. You are not fit to be a Princess of the land of Believe." Even as the Fairy Queen spoke in that soft, smooth voice, the room began to buck and whirl wildly around Tobias. She could feel her body going numb, terror racing through her. She was going to die. The realization made ice frost along her veins.

"He.. help me..." she whispered, darkness clawing at the edges of her field of vision, sneaking in front of her and blurring her sight. The Fairy Queen said nothing, just stood watching. Waiting. How twisted was this? The one person they'd thought they could trust turned out to be the one who was going to kill Toby. That just figured.

Toby suddenly realized she was laying on the ground, the world throbbing in and out of focus. Maybe she would sleep. It seemed so tempting, to just let go, to just give in to the darkness that gripped at her.

"He..lp..." Her lips and tongue wouldn't function, but she could hear her voice calling out in her mind.

_Theo!_ _Help me..!_

Then darkness surged across her brain and she surrendered to the inevitability of the poison coursing through her body. Letting it take hold, she had one final, irrational thought before slipping into blissful oblivion.

_How am I going to get the Jade Lady's sword back to her...?_


	29. Chapter 29

(( AN: Getting pretty close to the end now. :D ))

**29.**

Someone was shaking her. She was dimly aware of that much, at least, and it bothered her. Why were they trying to wake her up? Couldn't they see that she was sleeping? She was at peace and wrapped in the satin silence of darkness and she just wanted them to leave her alone. She turned her head away from the sound of the voices, hoping they would get the clue and leave her alone.

They didn't, just shook her again.

Gah, she was trying to sleep! They wouldn't let her, though, so, reluctantly, she opened her eyes, just a sliver. Brilliant blue eyes gazed back at her, full of worry and intensity so bright they nearly glowed. That was just silly... Eyes didn't glow. Must be a trick of the light. She smiled at the thought, then closed her eyes again and let herself go limp. Her body felt heavy, sluggish, as if she was moving through neck-high water.

She was jarred, suddenly, then instead of the soft warmth she'd felt under her cheek it was the cool stone of the floor. There were several voices now, all agitated. They were making it really hard to sleep. She'd just have to tell them all to go away. Yes, that's what she'd do. Tell them to go away so she could go back to sleeping. Her eyes slitted open again, tiredly looking up over her shoulder. There was someone above her, though her eyes refused to focus. The figure -- a he, she recognized now -- knelt next to her. Warm hands lifted her up, letting her rest back a strong, warm chest.

"Tobydoby," someone said against her ear. "Toby, wake up."

Dominic? She'd recognized his voice anywhere. It took a conscious effort for her to shake off more of the darkness that still clung to her, her mind clearing a tiny bit. "... Do..m...?"

"Oh, thank god," Dominic breathed, hugging her tightly, and she was confused. Why was he so worried? She'd just been taking a nap... Oh. Her mind cleared enough to remember what had happened, the events flooding into her and washing away the last vestiges of unconsciousness that had gripped her.

"Rosepink!" She sat upright, nearly toppled over, only Dominic's hands gripping her shoulders keeping her from planting her face in the step in front of her. "But I'm... I was... I'm not dead?" She spread her palm out, staring down at where the Fairy Queen had pierced her hand with the spindle. All that was left was a tiny puckered scar that was slightly iridescent when she shifted her hand back and forth.

"You were," Verum said, and Toby looked up and noticed for the first time that not only were Dominic and Verum there, but so were several well-armed Fairies standing between them and the Throne Room doors, which were ajar.

Beyond them, echoing through the open doors into the long hall, was the sound of fighting, the clang of steel on steel and the sharp punctuation of cries. Fighting? In Avalon? She looked up at both of them, bewildered. "What's going on? Why is there fighting? And Rosepink -- where is Rosepink?"

"It's okay," Dominic soothed, his warm hands on her shoulders. "You're safe now."

"Rosepink has fled. As for the fighting..." Verum glanced over her shoulder. She wasn't smiling. It was the first time Toby had ever seen her not smiling and happy. Whatever was happening was upsetting her deeply. "It seems that half of the Court is still loyal to her whereas half of the Court is loyal to you. So... currently they're disagreeing over who should control Avalon."

"Wait, they're fighting? Because of me?"

"Not just because of you," Verum said quickly. "Don't think this is your fault. This was going on long, long before you were crowned Princess. You're just the catalyst that's set things in motion... This is my fault, actually. I hadn't realized things had gotten so.. serious. I hadn't realized Rosepink's treachery ran so deep. To think... all of this time I've trusted her, confided in her... and it was all a lie."

"Hey," Toby said, alarmed at the guilt in the fairy godmother-in-training's eyes. "Don't blame yourself, either. She had everyone fooled." She pressed a hand to her head, which was pounding so badly she thought it was going to break the inside of her skull.

"Yes, but because I was not watching you, you..." Verum trailed off, staring at Toby with big eyes, as if she was going to start bawling.

Toby smiled faintly. "Hey, but it's okay, right? I'm not dead." She paused, then, and scrunched up her nose. "Why am I _not_ dead?"

Verum and Dominic glanced at each other. She looked between them, confused. She felt like a _look_ like that was meaningful somehow, but the meaning was escaping Toby. Then Verum looked back at Toby, smiling slightly. "A poison like that, Princess, can only be cured by --"

Toby groaned. "If you say anything about true love or kissing, I'm going to throw myself off a cliff."

"--True Love's Kiss," Verum continued as if she hadn't even heard Toby. She raised her eyes to Dominic and smiled widely. "It is a very good thing Dominic was so close."

Toby's head snapped up. "... excuse me?"

Dominic chuckled softly, hugging Toby gently from behind. "You're not the only one who knows a little bit about fairy tales, silly."

"You... you kissed me?" Toby twisted to look up at him, confused. He nodded. "And it was... it fixed me?" He nodded again. Toby felt her head reel. This was all progressing way too fast. She'd just barely begun to wrap her head around the fact that Dominic liked her, never mind loved her, and certainly never mind how she felt about him. But he was her True Love? Whatever that meant... "Oh."

Dominic slid his arms underneath her, picking her up. "We should get you somewhere safe..."

"No, wait-- Wait, where's Kjavaeos?" Toby's hand gripped at the scabbard that only held the tip of the sword, casting about for the hilt and the rest of the blade. Verum glanced at Dominic, then nodded towards the throne.

"We already found it..."

Toby looked over and felt her heart sink. Where there had been half of a sword... now there were two halves of that half. Being slapped against the wall must have been more than the already fragile blade could have handled. She pushed at Dominic's arms and he obligingly set her down. She wobbled on her feet but his hands on her waist steadied her.

Walking over to the throne, she knelt in front of Kjavaeos, feeling as if part of her had been broken as well. "Oh... Kjavaeos..."

"I'm sorry, Toby," Dominic said softly.

Toby just nodded, quietly picking up the pieces of the sword and sliding them into the scabbard. She felt like crying and the thought that the Jade Lady was really going to kill her hadn't even occurred to her. Though when it did she mentally groaned again.

She reached up and delicately felt the empty holder where the crystal in her tiara had been, making a face.

"Well. We certainly didn't come out of this scrap on top." She sighed.

"I think we did," Dominic said from behind her, his voice quietly determined. "We know who was making the Princesses disappear, after all. We know we can't trust her or those who sided with her anymore. And... we know we have a true Princess." He reached up, cupping Toby's cheek with a soft smile.

Toby blushed and averted her eyes from his, taking a step back. She didn't know why she suddenly felt so .. uncomfortable around him, but she did.

"So... what do we do now?" Toby looked between the two of them.

Verum smiled faintly. "We wait until Georgette, Valiance, and Fizzybink return from the fighting to tell us it is safe. I am relatively sure that our forces will control Avalon at the end of this skirmish. Rosepink has, after all, fled the halls already. They need to locate Sparklydink and determine which faction she will be joining, then they will return to us. From there... Well..." Verum trailed off, her brow knitting. "We have many choices."

"We have to find the other Princesses," Toby said, with a sudden certainty that surprised even her.

"Toby, all of the other Princesses..." Dom began, but Toby shake her head.

"Listen. When Rosepink tried to... doubt me into disappearing or whatever, I almost gave in. I was _this close_ to saying the words. So I felt what it was like. It wasn't like dying. It was like something was trying to grab me and ... change me somehow." She gripped Kjavaeos and looked between the two of them, green eyes completely serious. "I don't think they're dead. I think they're just... hidden. Maybe even right in plain sight. Only Rosepink knows what they turned into or were encased in.

"Finding them should be our first order of business. I'm not going anywhere, but just in case something happens to me, we need the other Princesses to be sure that Believe won't fall into a sleep again. That's what Rosepink wants."

"I agree," Verum said, and Toby blinked.

"You do?"

"Absolutely. The other Princesses also possessed skills and abilities that would aid us in subverting Rosepink's plans, whatever they may be." Verum smiled at Toby and the brunette felt like she'd finally done something right. Maybe Toby couldn't handle all the frilly girly stuff, maybe she couldn't even handle the public stuff, but she could do this. She could think and she could figure out how to avoid her enemies. She'd been doing it all of her life; Rosepink was just a prettier version of the bullies she'd dealt with for so long.

"Great. As soon as they get back, we'll have to start looking. And..." she paused, then looked down at her full, frilly skirts. "... I need pants."

Verum smiled. "I can take care of that!"

"No, it's oka--" Toby said hurriedly, but Verum had already flicked her wand at Toby. The brunette held still, worried at what she would find when she opened her eyes, but when the magic faded she was standing in a pair of pants. True, they were white and sparkly just like the fabric of her skirt and they had this rather girly overlay, but they were pants nonetheless. "... thanks," she said. Verum preened.

"No problem."

"This time," Toby muttered under her breath, then sat down on the dais to wait for the warriors to return, Dominic sitting next to her.


	30. Chapter 30

**30.**

Fizzybink, Valiance, and Georgette didn't return until long after the sounds of fighting had died away into distant echoes. By that time, Toby had fallen asleep with her head on Dominic's shoulder. It took him gently shaking her to get her to wake up again, blinking up at the returning warriors with sleepy eyes.

"It's done," Fiz said, looking very tired and unlike his normal, over-compensating self. Toby wondered how he was dealing with his mother's betrayal. Especially knowing now that his mother was the one responsible for Rosalinde's disappearance...

"Avalon doth be secure once more, m'lady," Georgette said, inclining her head to Verum. She looked strained as well.

"You missed a great spot of fun," Valiance added, tossing his head cheerily. Toby though the Pooka hadn't looked quite so satisfied since after the fiasco in the mall.

"Good, Avalon is ours," Verum said, sounding strangely in-command for once. She nodded briskly, then turned to Toby and Dominic. "I'm so sorry to have dragged you into this Princess. I didn't know..."

"It's all right," Toby said, standing and brushing her pants off. Her stone-less tiara and the shattered sword were heavy reminders of what had just occured, but at the same time she felt a sense of strength and purpose she hadn't had before. She knew who the enemy was now, and she knew she could survive what Rosepink threw at her. Now it was just a question of figuring out a way to best her at her own game.

And that, Toby looked forward to.

Looking around the Hall, however, she noticed one face missing. She frowned, then looked up at Georgette. "... where's Theo?" Was he still in his room, unawares of what was going on? No, that was impossible. He certainly would have heard the commotion.

Georgette looked up at Verum again and Toby thought to herself that she was very tired of _look_s like that and not knowing what they meant. "He doth be.. securing the outer perimeter," the Knight finally said, her voice strangely tight, not quite the rich alto it normally was. "It doth be unimportant where my son be."

"I see," Toby said slowly, getting the definite feeling that they weren't telling her something. Especially when Valiance leaned his nose forward, lightly touching it to Georgette's arm as if to reassure her. Toby left it well enough alone, however, nodding as she looked between them all. "Anyone have any idea on how to track down former Princesses?"

"I might," Fiz offered, standing with his arms folded over his chest. His beautiful ball tunic was ripped and stained with blood. It was a grim reminder that this wasn't just a fairy tale anymore. "My mother was the one who sent me to Toby, only moments after she was coronated and recognized as a Princess in the eyes of the magic of Believe. She must have some way of tracking Princesses. We just simply have to find it."

"Great, let's start looking," Toby said, determinedly.

"No," Verum said, abruptly, and Toby blinked at her. "No... Tobias, you need to go home."

Toby stared at her. "Wait, what? Home? You mean, back to the mundane world?"

Verum nodded. "Yes. You and Dominic. He's your Knight now, he'll be able to sense whenever you're in danger and will be able to protect you."

"Why can't I stay here? Weren't you the one so keen on getting me here to the Fairy Court in the first place?"

"Things have changed, Toby," Fiz said slowly. "All of the Fairies who have stayed have sworn their loyalty and their fealty to you... but there are many tricks known to the Fairies to bypass such oaths. Any one of them could be a traitor or a double-crosser. We can't take the chance with so many of them here. At least if we send you back to the mundane world it'll be easier to tell if one of them is actually after you. Fairies don't normally go to the other side."

"He's right, Tobydoby." Dominic put his hand on her shoulder, giving it a squeeze. "And with your tiara broken, we have no idea if it'll still protect you. It'll be safer for you out of the main action."

Toby looked between the four of them, not sure whether to feel relief or anger at the sudden change of events. True, she'd fought coming here tooth and nail, but now that she was here... Part of her felt like she belonged. She found no sway in their gazes however, so bit her lower lip and nodded.

"All right." After a moment she managed a small smile. "I bet Mom'll be happy."

"Fiz and myself will stay here in the Court and search for Rosepink's method of tracking the Princesses." Verum paused, then looked over at Fizzybink, a furrow in her brow as if something had just occurred to her. "Sparklydink is not with you..."

Fiz's face was pained. "Dink refuses to take sides. She's gone with my mother in the hopes of talking some sense into her. I believe that she honestly means Toby and the other Princesses no harm. But you know my sister..."

"Whimsical as a leaf on the breeze," Valiance muttered, flicking his ears back. Georgette patted his neck with a faint smile.

"She'll be back soon enough, I wager," Fiz said. "Just tell the guards not to shoot her... but don't let her out of their sight either. Who knows what my mother will have convinced her to do in the name of 'making up'."

"So be it," Georgette replied briskly. "I wilt remain here as well, Princess, and oversee the fortifications. I doth not believe this wilt turn into a major skirmish, but if it doth... We wilt be prepared."

"I understand," Toby said. She hesitated, then ventured, "so it'll just be Theo, Dom, and me?"

"No." Dominic wasn't looking at her, but he seemed quietly angry over something. For just an instant, then it was gone and he was smiling easily at her. "Theo's remaining here."

"Why?" Toby asked. "I thought he'd..."

"I'm afraid not," Verum cut in, gently. "He wishes to keep his distance from you."

Toby felt her eyes sting with the hurt that welled up at that statement. He did blame her, then, for being yelled at by the Fairy Queen, for not being smart or strong enough to just leave him alone. "Okay," she managed, but her voice sounded small and weak to her ears.

Dominic squeezed her shoulder but she couldn't bear to look up at him. After a moment, Verum broke the silence by clearing her throat.

"Why don't you return to your room for the time being, Princess? It is secure and we'll make sure you're guarded. Rest up and as soon as we are able to form a battalion to return you to the Gate, we'll bring you home. All right?"

Toby nodded. "All right," she replied. "But I'm taking Kjavaeos with me."

Verum glanced at the sword, then looked up at Toby. "Princess, that sword broke protecting you. It would not have done that if it did not feel a bond of loyalty to you. I doubt there is a force in the land of Believe or beyond that can take that sword from you now."

_Great_, Toby thought to herself. _Now even my shattered sword seems to think it can protect me._

Valiance echoed her thoughts a moment later when he offered, "now all she needs is a shield with some holes in it, and she'll be invincible." Their laughter echoed throughout the room and for a moment seemed to make the oppressive Throne Room just a bit more welcoming.


	31. Chapter 31

(( AN: Sorry this took so long to get out, been feeling under-the-weather. ))

**31.**

Toby laced up her sneakers, which had mysteriously been cleaned so expertly they looked like new. Sitting up, she brushed her long brown hair back off of her shoulder and let her eyes wander around the small room. She hadn't even lived her for a whole week but in those days it'd come to feel comfortable and safe. She sighed, telling herself not to dwell on it. She was sure she'd be back here soon enough.

They just had to find Rosepink and... Turn her into a gopher or something.

She looked up at the sound of the curtain rustling, smiling at the sight of Dominic. Behind him, however, was a veritable train of people. Verum, Fizzybink, Georgette, and Valiance were all behind him, filing in as if it were some sort of ceremony. Toby straightened up, confused as to what was going on, especially at the sight of a throng of Fairies behind Verum, all peeking in as if to catch a glance of their infamous Princess.

"What's going on?" she asked Dominic, standing and brushing her hands off on her jeans. It was almost weird seeing him in normal clothes after seeing him dressed up like an honest-to-goodness Knight.

"Apparently it's a tradition with the Fairies to give gifts to the Princess the night of her coronation ball. Since that didn't happen... well, they wanted to do it right now." Dominic shrugged and glanced over at Verum who smiled at Toby.

"All you need to do is thank each one for their gift, Princess. I promise it's fairly painless."

Toby didn't hesitate, but nodded. "All right. I don't look like much of a Princess right now, but you can send them in."

Verum nodded and moved towards the doorway. Toby glanced around the room, trying to figure out where would be the best to receive them, but then decided the futon she'd been sitting on was probably the best bet. So she sat down again, reaching up and brushing her brown hair behind her shoulder. Dom moved to stand behind her, putting a light hand on her shoulder. A faint blush sprang to Toby's cheeks at the touch, but she smiled at him, thankful for his support. Truthfully, however, she wasn't afraid anymore. Dying and then coming back seemed to have put things in perspective for her, and she felt a quiet confidence she'd never had before.

She could handle a few Fairies.

A 'few' Fairies turned out to be basically every Fairy in Avalon. They filed in through the doorway, approaching her one at a time. Then they would bow or curtsey before her, holding out a trinket to her, often with a smile or a murmured comment to the effect of 'we're happy to have you as our Princess.' The gifts were everything from small feathers that sparkled with irridescent light to jewels and gems that glittered and shone in the light. There were odder ones, little boxes full of powder she couldn't identify, a pendant with a pearl goose outline inlaid in it, even a pair of tiny jeweled shoes. One fairy even gave her a small bag of the tiniest golden-brown acorns that Toby had ever seen.

Toby didn't ask what each one was, feeling like that would be too insulting. Instead, she took the gift, thanked the Fairy, and tried to burn his or her face into her memory. There was no way she was going to remember any of their names -- Peaplant? Skee? Beesbuzz? -- but she could at least try and recognize them the next time she saw them.

One Fairy, a delicate shade of blue, even had tears in her eyes. "Rosalinde was my best friend in the whole world," she said softly. "She would be so proud to have a Princess like you to bring our land back to life."

Then she kissed Toby's hand and rose. As she left the room, Toby saw her embrace Fiz out of the corner of her eyes.

Toby handed the small sealed box that the Fairy had given her to Dom, and he set it down on the table behind them, a table that was rapidly becoming cluttered with everything that she was receiving.

By the time the last few Fairies approached her, Toby's head was spinning. Every single Fairy had looked at her and smiled, had noticed her and had been happy to see her. The brunette had never had that sort of attention before, and it was dizzying. She was suddenly, intensely glad that she'd refused to give in, that she hadn't left these people without a Princess once more.

When she looked up again she found, to her surprise, that Georgette was standing in front of her, her white silver armor shining in the light of the room. She held out a sword in its scabbard and Toby reached up to take it.

"Thou wilt need to train. Dominic doth carry his own sword and thou hath Kjavaeos, but thou canst not practice with a sundered blade. This blade doth be called Skysyr. It wilt serve thee well until thou hast repaired Kjavaeos." Then she bowed to Toby. She hesitated and for a moment Toby thought the blonde Knight was going to say something else to her. But instead, Georgette simply smiled, straightened, and walked away.

Valiance's hooves clipped on the ground as he approached her, stretching out his neck. Toby cupped her hands and he dropped a small pendant into her hands. It looked like a twist of red blown glass on a silken cord.

"It's a Verastone," he said. "It is a shard of glass from the volancoes in my land. If it is taken from the ground, it will lose its powers unless collected by one that has not uttered a lie in the past sixty years. Wear it around your neck against your skin and it will heat up whenever someone is lying to you."

Then he tossed his head, his ears flicking back, and Toby smiled. "Thank you, Valiance." He dipped his head in a horse-like bow, then turned and trotted over to where Georgette was.

Verum was next, a simple silver cord that looked like it had been made from spun spiderwebs laying across her palms. "Kjavaeos will not let itself be taken from you anymore Princess, but you cannot simply carry an artifact of such great magic in the mundane world without drawing unnecessary attention. This cord has a spell woven into it such that when it is wrapped three times around Kjavaeos's scabbard it will hide the sword to all but those who you wish to see it. It will only work if you keep the sword sheathed and on you."

"I was wondering about that," Toby admitted with a soft laugh and took the cord from Verum. She wrapped it three times around Kjavaeos's battered scabbard and knotted it. Then she looked up at Verum. "Did I do it right?"

The Fairy Godmother-in-training smiled. "I cannot see the sword anymore."

"Neither can I," Dominic said, sounding impressed. "That's really useful, Verum."

The silver-haired young woman beamed at the compliments. "See? I do get things right. Verily vapid, indeed!"

They laughed. Once the laughter had died away, Toby turned to see Fiz standing in front of her. She hardly recognized him. There was the familiar sparkle in his eyes, the energy that seemed to drive him, but now not only was he her size but he looked the part of a King. Gone was the armor he'd worn, replaced by rich, deep green robes that set off his pale hair. Encircling his brow was a twist of gold, the hint of leaves crafted into the crown.

"Your majesty," she said, and Fiz waved his hand at her.

"To you, Princess, I will always just be Fiz."

"Okay, but then you can't call me Princess. It's not fair," Toby pointed out, and Fiz held up his hands, chuckling in defeat. He knelt in front of her, then took one of her hands in his -- though, Toby noticed, not the one Rosepink had pricked her with.

"As a Princess, you will always be welcome in the magical and hidden places of our world. I wish I could give you the tour that you deserve, from the mountain caves of the Gryphons all the way to the tiny Pixie villages and the deep forest homes of the Unicorns. That, unfortunately, will have to wait. I can only hope that some day you will be free to see all of our world. Until then, my gift to you, Princess, is a Key. If ever you need to seek entrance to our lands, this will guide you to the nearest entrance and aid you in opening the door."

He reached out and placed a small box in her hand. Toby gazed down at it, running her finger along the intricate vine designs inlaid in the top of the burnished brown wood. "Open it," Fiz prompted. When she did, she found herself looking at a.. compass? The little needle was swinging back and forth between several points, coming to rest at one of the point of the rose etched into the wood underneath it before moving to another, as if it couldn't make up its mind which way it wanted to point.

"This compass will point wherever you ask it to point. All you need to tell it is where you want to go and it will guide you. So in order to return to Believe, simply ask the compass to show you the nearest Door and it will do so."

Toby concentrated on the compass in her hands. _Show me the Door to Avalon. _

Instantly, the needle flicked around, pointing towards one of the walls in the room. Toby felt a thrill of satisfaction; she knew that was the direction that the stump-entrance lay. She looked up at Fiz and smiled. "Thanks, Fiz."

He winked at her, then stood. Toby tucked the compass into her pocket, then stood as well, looking over in time to see Verum waving her wand and making all of the gifts Toby had received zoom into a chest that she'd conjured out of thin air or something. Once she was done, she flicked her twig-wand at the chest and it suddenly animated, coming to life on four little stubby feet.

Toby shook her head; Verum and her walking furniture.

"All right, Princess. Do you have all of your belongings? We're ready to take you home now." Verum tucked the little wand away again, peering at Toby.

The brunette took a moment to look around the room, then looked up at Verum, nodding. "I'm ready."

The Fairy Godmother-in-training turned and led them from the room. As Toby let the curtain fall behind her, she found herself standing in the middle of two lines of Fairies. All colors and sizes, they stood shoulder to shoulder, as if guarding her way to the entrance. She hesitated, but Dominic gently put his hand on the small of her back.

She started walking forward.

No one said anything, just watched her as she passed, followed by Dominic, Georgette, Valiance, Fizzybink, and the chest trundling along. As she walked underneath the tree that had, so recently, been shriveled and dead, she noticed, for the first time, small pink buds forming on the edges of the branches. The branches still bore many of the pale white flowers they had sprouted when Toby's magic had re-awakened it.

It had come back to life, and for whatever reason, the sight reassured her even as she entered the shadow of the stump and began climbing the stairs to the surface, leaving Avalon and its shining Fairies behind her.


	32. Chapter 32

**32.**

Toby stood in front of the building, a square shaped red brick affair. It looked more like a prison or a detention center than a school, but she supposed that was her fault. They were still hacking the vines out of their actual highschool. The wind whipped her long brown hair into her face and she ran a hand through it annoyedly.

8:09. Classes started in about six minutes. She still had to find her new locker and then find her first class.

It felt so weird to be standing there in front of the highschool. Ever since she'd returned from Believe, she'd had this strange sensation, like she'd come back to claim someone else's life. Her mother had cried and hugged her tightly, then made Toby her favorite dinner in order to celebrate. She'd found her pansies in a slight state of neglect, but certainly not worse for wear for her being gone for several weeks. However, wherever she went, no matter how familiar, it also felt like it'd changed slightly.

It didn't help that wherever she went she kept getting .. glimpses. Like she was seeing familiar faces and forms out of the corners of her eyes. Just the other day she'd sworn that she'd seen a Fairy watching her from the corner of a building. This morning she'd gone out to visit her pansies and found the hint of a large, clawed footprint in the dirt. It made her instantly look around for Theo, but then she'd chided herself. Theo was a human now, and he was avoiding her. There hadn't even been so much as a hint of him as she left the Fairy Court. She couldn't believe he hadn't even said good-bye to her.

One way or another, it felt like the world around her was somehow different, somehow not the one that she'd been kidnapped by Gaj'ja out of.

Maybe it was the rest of the world. Maybe it was just her.

Well, she supposed, that was sort of true. She had died, after all. This i was /i someone else's life -- the old Tobias.

The old Tobias and the new Tobias shared something in common, however -- neither of them wanted to walk through that door.

Through that door was Julie and Jenny and throngs of students and teachers who would look at her and see nothing different. They wouldn't see the silver band that still sat on her forehead or the invisible sword that hung at her side. They would just see plain old Tobias, minus her glasses and plus some strange new rumors hovering about her; she didn' t look forward to more questions about the infamous movie she was starring in. None of them would know what she'd gone through in the past few weeks. None of them would understand she wasn't that Toby anymore.

Toby missed the reassuring weight of an invisible Fairy Prince on her shoulder.

Fiz and Verum had promised to keep her up to date constantly, however. They'd promised to let her know as soon as they found whatever Rosepink had been using to track the Princesses and she'd return to Believe and they'd find the other Princesses. Then they'd all find Rosepink and stop her at whatever game she was playing at, then everything would be one of those 'happily ever after's that were so highly sought after.

Toby felt strangely optimistic. She'd had the weight of the unknown enemy hanging over her head for so long that it was a distinct relief not to be wondering who it was anymore. She'd wanted some answers and now she had them. True, she had a lot more questions as well -- what was Rosepink planning? could they stop her? what had happened to make her hate Princesses so much? -- but at least she had answered some of the questions that had been plaguing her.

Now she just had to survive highschool again until it came time to return to Believe.

"Hey, it's 8:13. We're going to be late." Dominic slid an arm around her shoulders, giving her a reassuring squeeze. She hadn't even noticed him walking up behind her. She smiled faintly. At least one thing hadn't changed -- she still had Dominic by her side, though now it was as more than just a friend, she guessed.

"Yeah, you're right, we should get in there."

"Cheer up, Tobydoby. I'm with you. Besides, you've faced down the Queen of the Fairies -- a very scary being if I do say so myself. What is there in highschool that's scarier than that?" Dom cracked one of _those_ grins, and Toby resisted the urge to glance around to see if any innocent by-standers had suddenly swooned.

She looked up at him, quite serious. "Algebra."

He laughed. Then, one hand on Kjavaeos and the other on her bookback, Toby headed up the stairs and through the doors into the highschool with Dominic's arm still around her shoulders. Toby took a deep breath on the threshold, then stepped through into the building.

She had her 'happily for now.' Her 'happily ever after' was still in the coming, but she was sure she'd get it one day.

She_was_ a Princess, after all.

(( And, that's the end of this book.

I'm definitely planning a sequel (gotta tie up all those loose ends, after all), but first I want to take a good hard look at this one and polish it up a bit. Expect a prologue and an epilogue to be coming up as end-chapters. That being said, now is the time to let me know what parts of the story you think might need a little polishing. Either drop me an email or just hit the review button.

Also, I know a lot of people have questions about the story and I'm planning to do a FAQ chapter. So have something you're _dying_ to know? Maybe why something in particular happened? Or want to know more about part of Believe or a particular character? Just drop me a FAQ: note and I'll answer it and put it up at the end of this story.

That being said, thanks to everyone who've stuck by this story and read every chapter. I especially appreciate those of you who've reviewed every or almost every chapter. You guys have kept me going.

So, that's it. Hope you've enjoyed the ride and see you in upcoming chapters and stories! ))


	33. Epilogue

**Epilogue.**

The young woman was leaning so far over the large pool of water that it seemed impossible that she did not fall and break its tranquil, glass-like surface. She was staring with dark eyes into the depths, so deeply into it that she seemed to be breathing in time with the gentle rippling at the edges of the marble basin. 

Then she jerked herself back, so fast that she lost her balance and had to grip the edge of the basin to steady herself. 

She inhaled slowly, her tousled dark brown curls falling around her shoulders as she stared down at the water, the picture she had been gazing at still dancing just underneath the surface, though from this distance it was so distorted it was impossible to see. Still, she knew what it meant. She'd been a Scryer for long enough to know.

Turning, she swept from the small room, the thick satin curtains curling out as she passed through them before falling silently back into place. 

"She did it," she said even before she was fully into the room that was her destination. It was brightly lit by floating balls of light that seemed to follow people around like meandering stars, illuminating piles upon piles of scrolls, books, manuscripts, and papers that reached nearly all the way to the high, towered roof of the room. The only other occupant raised her head, silver eyes that seemed to shift like the twinkle of stars in the sky resting on the Scryer. 

"I know," she said, in a voice as old as sound itself. It was a voice that was beautiful in its ancientness, in which each crack or fall of her tone told a story as old as time itself. "I knew she would." 

"You knew she would? You didn't even know she was going to _be_, much less that this would happen. _No_ one knew. She's... she's an accident." 

"Like an ink splotch on the pages of the Story?" The crone's time-whitened brow arched as she regarded her younger companion. The woman flushed at the other's pointed tone. 

"That's not what I--" 

"I know, Nigelle, I know." She shifted stacks of papers off of her lap, setting them on the ground as she pushed herself to her feet, a task that her great age should have made nearly impossible, but one that she complete without any real strain. There was great strength in her age, great power in her timelessness. "Do you have the Scarred One?" 

Nigelle frowned, then nodded. "She's still sleeping..." 

The old woman let her wizened fingers run along the spines of the books on the shelves in front of her. Such old tomes, nearly as old as she herself, but for so many she'd watched the words on their pages be penned. 

"Take the Scarred One to Gem." 

"The Elf Queen? But..." 

The woman turned to the dark-haired beauty in front of her. "Ask Gem to take her to the Princess. The Princess will need her. And..." She paused, running one hand down the side of her neck, where a faint irridescent pattern like the lacing of scales glimmered under her skin. "... I do think the Jade Lady is right, Nigelle. I feel this one will be putting to right a good many things that should be put to right." 

"Like the dragons?" Nigelle suggested, watching the old woman with scrutinizing, dark eyes. She could see her mentor stiffen, then smiled faintly. 

"Yes. Like the dragons. That wound, my dear, has been festering for far too long. It is only fitting that it was love that caused the sundering, and now it will be one that is loved who we hope will fix it." The woman reached up and took a slim volume from the top of the bookcase in front of her. She flicked the pages open until she found the one she was looking for, running her fingers along the words that said _The Betrayal of the Dragons_... across the top. 

"She's still an accident," Nigelle cautioned. "Are you sure you should be putting so much faith in her?" 

The old woman smiled, staring at the words for a moment more before abruptly shutting the book and returning to its place. Then she turned to the young woman. "Accidental or no, she is still a Princess, Nigelle. Look what she has already accomplished, what she has already fixed. The Heart Tree blooms again, something that not even Rosalinde was able to accomplish." 

Her gaze followed one of the floating balls of light, lost in the world of her thoughts beyond the small dot. "I look forward to seeing what else she accomplishes, our dear accidental Princess. I'm sure it'll be quite the Chapter in the Story, indeed." 

Nigelle smiled. "There you go again about your Story." 

The crone cackled. "Off with you, child. You have things to do, and I... Why, I have stories to read." She returned to her chair and settled down again even as Nigelle ducked in a curtsey before leaving the room, only a whisper of curtains to herald her exit. 


	34. FAQ Fun Stuff

FAQ:

1. Why did the spaghetti form a circle? (Chap 1)

Well, it -had- just been used to crown a magical Princess. That gave it some magic of its own, which was symbolized in the fact it formed a circle.

2. Is the Fairy Godmother good or bad?

Well, let's look at the facts. On one hand, the Fairy Godmother disappeared right after the last Princess. On the other, Verum believes firmly that she wanted to stop the disappearances. Then again, Verum's an airhead who didn't realize the Fairy Queen was evil. But then again, neither did anyone else. Yet, the Fairy Godmother DID break the Trolls' most precious possession. But, she also didn't try to kill anyone... So... Guess we'll have to see, huh?

3. If Fizzybink found Toby first, why didn't he show up and stop Theo? (Chap 4)

Fizzybink doubtlessly had to report every move back to his mother. Besides, how do you think Verum found out? She's a bit vapid, after all...

4. Who is Toby's True Love?

So not telling.

5. If Valiance is a Pookah, a mischevious spirit known for causing trouble, why is he okay with being Georgette's mount? (Chap 10)

Georgette saved Valiance's life. She has an odd knack for adopting strange creatures and taking them under her wing -- Theo is another. Valiance is happy to be Georgette's mount because of the debt he owes to her and how much he cares about her. Plus, with all the trouble Georgette gets into, it's _really_ amusing.

6. Why didn't Toby's tiara protect her when the Trolls kidnapped her? (Chap 17)

Princess magic only reacts when they're truly in danger. In this case, it reacted when Julie grabbed for Toby's tiara because Julie intended to get her into a lot of trouble. But the Trolls just wanted her to have tea with them, so the magic didn't react. Plus, the magic is susceptible to the whims of "The Story" after all. If her getting kidnapped is good for The Story, then the magic's not going to react.

7. Okay, "The Story?" What?

Believe and all fairy tale creatures follow different rules than the mundane world does. In Believe, it's the role of the Princesses to have things happen to and around them. They're basically the focal points for things to occur. So magic in Believe tends to do what's best (and most interesting) for the Story. It's not going to follow the same hard and fast rules all the times. Unpredictability is part of what makes any story fun, and Believe's Story is no different.

8. How do Fairies hit like a regular sized person even though they're tiny?

Fairies are small when they leave the realm of Believe because they're so innately tied to the land that they diminish when they're not in it. That being said, just like Theo could still breathe fire when Verum turned him human because he was still a dragon, they still are just as strong and dangerous when they're small as when they're normal sized.

9. Why does EVERYONE hate dragons so much?

They eat Princesses. Shame shame! They're also seen as being creatures of destruction, that part of their personality is this need to hurt and kill. As for why that is? Well... That's another story.

10. What happens next?! (Epilogue)

Well, you should go check out the second book and find out. It's called Purposeful Princess and I'm currently actively updating it.


	35. More Fun Stuff

Now that I have the complete plot of the third book worked out and am chugging through the chapters (albeit slowly) I've actually been dinking around with the idea of polishing up the first book in the series (An Accidental Princess) in the hopes of perhaps sending it to an agent and getting it published.

Seeing as the book was started going on four years ago, I feel like there's a lot I need to work on/polish up. So I was hoping you, the loyal readers who have stuck with me through all its faults and favorited/commented on it anyway, would have some suggestions. I threw together some questions that I'm interested in hearing answers to, but don't feel like you have to answer them all or even any of them. Any honest feedback on what I could do to make it a stronger, more publish-able book is welcome.

Please feel free to send your responses either through Private Message here on Fanfiction Net or to my email address. In thanks, I'm planning to incorporate those who respond into a very important up-coming scene in Book 3. :)

Here are some thoughts to get you started:

**Overall:**

- Was the first chapter a strong enough hook? Meaning, did it interest you in the story right away or did you have to read into the next chapter to get interested?

- Were the chapters too short? too long? just right?

- Did you notice anything about the writing that annoyed you? (IE: words that were overused, repeated sentence structures, etc?)

- Which is a better title: a. A Fairy Tale's Princess b. An Accidental Princess c. The Princess Calamity d. (other suggestions)

**Characters:**

- Were there too many characters?

- Did you feel any of them lacked a strong, unique characterization? And if so, who?

- Is it too obvious that Rosepink is evil?

- If you could have more of any one character, who would it be?

**Plot:**

- Did anything about the plot seemed rushed, hurried, or ambiguous?

- If you could choose to have any part of the plot expanded or elaborated upon, which part would it be?

- Did you feel any of the character relationships were rushed or felt forced?

- In the beginning, does Theo arrive too quickly? (IE, would you be interested in more build-up with Toby's day to day life or do you think that would bog the story down?)

**Finally: **

- Any other thoughts or advice on what might make the story better overall?

- If you could have any Believe-type name (Fairy or otherwise) what would it be?


End file.
